In one of the famous scenes of American animated sitcom Family Guy, which was aired on January 2008, the main character, Peter Griffin, is seen entering a stem cell research lab with half his body paralyzed, as a result of a stroke, and walking out completely healthy.

Growing a heart on a plate (PR photo)

Imagination plays an important role in dealing with stem cells. Theoretically, cells that, in a lab, can differentiate into any specialized cell present countless options of playing with the human bodyfrom treating any physical medical failure, through preparing a bank of human spare parts, to producing a new race of perfect human beings, completely flawless and immune. That is only in theory, however, at least at this stage. In practice, the possibilities inherent in stem cells are still imaginary, and using them for actual treatment is still very limited.

Torontos skyline is dotted with multi-story buildings, each with a series of elevators that fly visitors within second from the ground floor to the upper floors. The 35th floor of Eaton Centre, a shopping mall and office complex located near Dundas Squarewhich locals say is like Times Square, only a lot less impressiveoverlooks almost all parts of the Ontario provinces capital.

Using stem cells for the sake of humanity (Illustration photo: Shutterstock)

The most fascinating research has to do with cardiology. This is the field in which the ability to imagine a new era in the near future appears most palpable. Its difficult to overstate the complexity of the human heart, which is made up of different types of cells and tissues and is activated through a sequence of electrical pulses. Modern medicine has been unsuccessful so far in creating an industrial alternative for the heart, at least not one that allows a quality of life, while transplant surgery suffers from the risks of transplant rejection and a regular donor shortage. These limitations, in addition to the fact that heart diseases are very common and are one of the leading causes of death around the world, make cardiology a fertile ground for an industry of innovative medicine.

PR photo

One field in which this vision has already become a reality, at least partially, is lung therapy. Stem cell medicine holds a potential in terms of lungs suitable for transplantation, when it comes to improving of the chances that the new body wont reject the organ. The entire process, however, is complicated. Lung transplantation is only possible when the person who agreed to donate his organs in advance is declared brain dead, which makes it possible to harvest the organs before the entire body collapses, and these are pretty specific cases. In addition, in this group only 20 percent of the donated lungs are eventually transplantedas the procedure must be quick, and in most cases doctors dont have sufficient information about the lungs condition and the ability to prepare it for a transplantation which wont be rejected.

PR photo

In the stem-cell therapy labs in Toronto, the future is both present and absent. Most researchers refuse to fall into the press trap and talk about a vision for a better future in which every problem will be treated by injecting stem cells. And although the phrase growing a heart on a plate is occasionally heard, they make sure to clarify that such a situation is still far off. Nevertheless, no one will deny that stem-cell therapy is the medicine of the future.

The combination of medical and technological innovations may have brought humanity to the start of a new era, in which it will be possible to cure the body in an immensely more efficient way than in the past. But even these accomplishments highlight how little we know about the human body and how much more we need to learn and work in order to be able to unlock the full potential hiding deep within our cells.

(Translated and edited by Sandy Livak-Furmanski)

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Stem-cell therapy: The medicine of the future - Ynetnews