A Next-Generation Approach
Everyone on earth will undergo the ageing process that is known as senescence or “biological ageing”. The ageing process brought to us by mother nature cannot be avoided but when the physical signs of ageing occur (usually through many factors including depletion of stem cells) starts to take hold, there are ways to manage the process through science.
Thanks to modern medicine and recent developments in medical and cell regeneration technology, it is now possible for the doctors to greatly slow down the process through the use of proper dieting, healthy eating habits, and stem cell therapy for anti-ageing and wellness.
Stem Cell Therapy, also known as regenerative medicine, is an emerging, yet rapidly expanding field that combines knowledge from multi-disciplinary basic research to established clinical applications towards the aim of repairing, replacing and re-growing damaged tissue to restore its normal function. Strategies to regain tissue function following an injury include cell therapy, tissue engineering, and gene therapy, which can be alternatives to traditional organ replacement therapies.
Stem Cell Therapy is a treatment to help increase the total number of stem cells in your body to enhance your body’s well-being and treat many illnesses.
Stem cells are the body’s raw materials — cells from which all other cells with specialized functions are generated. Under the right conditions in the body or a laboratory, stem cells divide to form more cells called daughter cells.
These daughter cells either become new stem cells (self-renewal) or become specialized cells (differentiation) with a more specific function such as blood cells, brain cells, heart muscle cells, or bone cells. No other cell in the body has the natural ability to generate new cell types.
Stem cells can be broadly categorized into:
- Embryonic stem cells – These stem cells come from embryos that are three to five days old. At this stage, an embryo is called a blastocyst and has about 150 cells.
These are pluripotent stem cells, meaning they can divide into more stem cells or can become any type of cell in the body. This versatility allows embryonic stem cells to be used to regenerate or repair diseased tissue and organs.
However, they have been associated with rare tumour (teratoma) formations.
- Adult stem cells – These stem cells are found in small numbers in most adult tissues, such as bone marrow or fat (adipose) tissues. These are also known as mesenchymal stem cells. Compared with embryonic stem cells, adult stem cells have a more limited ability to give rise to various cells of the body.
Until recently, researchers thought that adult stem cells could create only similar types of cells. Researchers thought that stem cells residing in the bone marrow could give rise only to blood cells.
However, emerging evidence suggests that adult stem cells may be able to create various types of cells. For instance, fat-derived stem cells may be able to differentiate into specialized cells that carry out a specific function such as in the skin, muscles or blood.
Adipose tissue stem cells (ASCs), known as multipotent stem cells, are most commonly used in clinical applications in recent years. Adipose tissues have the advantage in the harvesting, isolation, and expansion of ASCs, especially in an abundant amount of stem cells compared to bone marrow. ASCs can be found in stromal vascular fractions (SVF) which are easily obtained from the dissociation of adipose tissue.
As most people have adequate fat supplies and the numbers of stem cells are abundant, there is no need to culture the cells over a period of days as compared with bone marrow. They can be used right away. Extraction is by mini liposuction from areas such as abdomen and thighs.
Stem Cell Therapy can be used in various clinical applications:
Anti-ageing and Rejuvenation:
- Increased stamina
- Mental and emotional improvement
- More youthful appearance
- Firmer skin with fewer wrinkles
- Fuller hair
- Improved vitality and libido
- Erectile dysfunction
- Vaginal atrophy
- Treating osteoarthritis
- Less bone, muscle and joint pain
- Improve osteoporosis