Bone Marrow Transplants and Stem Cells
Bone marrow transplants and stem cells are the methods that are gaining a lot of attention as a way of treating cancer. Its a safer way rather than using chemotherapy for life-threatening and serious diseases. BMT are also being used now for skin regeneration and wound healing. Combined from natural materials and bone marrow derived from cells it is possible to create an artificial skin to be used for the patient.
Hematopoietic stem cells or later known as blood-forming stem cells are found in the bone marrows, these are the soft material found in the interior hollow of the skeletal bones. Hematopoietic stem cells replicates itself to form more blood cells and when these cells mature they will be categorized in 3 types of blood cells namely red blood cells, white blood cells and the platelets. The blood cells are the ones responsible for delivering oxygen all throughout the body.
Bone Marrow Incompatibility with the Patient
There are times where the bone marrow of the donor is incompatible with recipient, matching is done by comparing specific protein makers or HLA-type in the cells. Resulting in serious problems for the patient and may sometimes cause death compare to umbilical cord blood stem cell transplant which is less-prone to graft-versus-host disease. GVHD or Graft-Versus-Host Disease is the common sife effect of allogeneic BMT where immune cells that are found in the marrow that has been transplanted see the recipient as "foreign" body and thus attacks them which is life-threatening for the patient.
Nonetheless, bone marrow transplants through stem cells provides hope for people who are under serious conditions and would likely take the risk in order to live a better life. Researchers are still working hard in order to discover more potential treatment for stem cells to use for, there will be a time when all diseases of mankind will be cured.
