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FUTURE RESEARCH 

The field of Stem Cell Therapy is vast with numerous potential for providing a cure to some of the life threatening diseases and disorders. There are about 70 diseases which can be cured using adult stem cells in the recent time. With big capitalists investing and venturing into the stem cell market, it is expected for the funding to grow at an astounding rate.

 

Some recent and futuristic areas of research in Stem Cell therapy are - 

 

  1. Mesenchymal Stem cells in Cancer : 

  • Mesenchymal stem cells are adult stem cells with the ability of self renewal and multilineage differentiation. They can differentiate into cells even of non mesodermal lineage like cardiocytes, hepatocytes or even epithelial cells.

  • The involvement of MSCs for cancer treatment is a burning topic for research. It is believed once the tumor niche is reached, MSCs interact with cancer cells via direct and indirect mechanisms that affect tumor development with the paracrine function(secreting certain factors on other cells) of MSCs playing an important role.

  • By inhibiting proliferation-related signaling pathways, such as the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B (PI3K/AKT), MSCs can induce cell cycle arrest in the tumour cells. MSCs can undergo differentiation into other cell types, such as cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) for a direct solution to reduce cancer spread.

 

    2. Human Adipose Stem Cells with Neuronical capabilities : 

  • These are the most widely found stem cells and can be extracted from every tissue in the body and is used in clinical applications in recent years due highest multipotent differentiation abilities.

  • Initial in vitro studies characterized the morphology and protein expression of hASCs (human adipose stem cells) after exposure to neural induction agents.which points to hASCs having neuronal capabilities. Progress in the in vitro characterization of hASCs has led to in vivo modeling to determine the survival, migration, and engraftment of transplanted hASCs.

  • For successful and efficient translations of hASCs require technologies based on these four recurrent themes: automated closed‐system operations, biosensors and real‐time monitoring, biomimetics, and rapid manufacturing.

  • The proliferation of hASCs is controlled in vitro but it’s migration and differentiation abilities are beyond human control. The approval of hASCs for clinical use would require it’s standardisation, preparation for different patients and location, the specific healing mechanism of hASCs, effective dose, dose intervals, and appropriate delivery method to load or apply ASCs into patients.

 

     3. Stem cell therapy for Degenerative Retinal diseases : 

  • ESCs (Embryonic Stem cells) extracted from mouse embryos are found to be capable of expressing neural markers when induced by retinoic acid. These cells were able to migrate into the retina when applied intravitreally, and although their differentiation to photoreceptors was limited, they enhanced photoreceptor viability in a retinal degeneration model.

  • IPSCs (induced pluripotent stem cells) are autologous, hence there are lesser chances of them being rejected by the body lessening the need to administer an immunosuppressant. However they might trigger T cell mediated immune response.

  • Subretinal application of MSCs (Mesenchymal Stem Cells) repaired degenerating retinas in retinal degeneration models in rats. An experimental study showed that rat MSCs obtained from culture activate Müller cell differentiation and exert a paracrine effect by secreting growth factors.

 

 Further areas of research include stem cell therapy in Liver cirrhosis, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and also in cerebral acute cerebral injury.

 

The Stem Cell Therapy Market in current time - 

 

The global stem cells market generated an income of USD 9.38 billion in 2020. It is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.8% from 2021 to 2028. The factors contributing to the growth include increasing demand for biologics, technological advancement in stem cell therapeutics, and a growing focus on the development of personalized medicines.

  1. In December 2020, REPROCELL launched a new service Personal “iPS” service for generating patient-specific iPSC from January 2021. The service will help in preparing and storing an individual’s iPSCs for developing regenerative medicine as a remedy to future health complications for the individual.

  2. In June 2020, Longeveron LLC announced Japan’s Pharmaceutical and Medical Devices Agency (PMDA) approval for the starting Phase 2 clinical trial for evaluating the safety and efficacy of their Mesenchymal Stem Cells (LMSCs) that can be used for treating aging frailty.

  3. In October 2020, NoveCite and Novellus Therapeutics Limited entered into a collaboration for commercialised production and sale of NoveCite iPSCs for treating COVID-19 associated Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS).

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