Since stem cells have the potential to become almost any cell in the body, these cells offer tremendous potential to repair damage from serious injuries and degenerative diseases. However, stem cell treatments seem to be taking a while to develop.
There are two clinically approved treatments using stem cells: hematopoietic stem cell transplants for leukemia and other blood diseases, and skin grafts grown from stem cells for burn treatment. Both of these treatments use adult stem cells, also known as progenitor cells. Also, both predate the era of aggressive research on stem cell therapies that began about 15 years ago when Dr. James Thompson developed the first embryonic stem cell lines at the University of Wisconsin.
View the original article here: Are stem cells delivering on their potential therapeutic benefits?
