Where did it all start?
As established in the previous post, cell therapy is the introduction of living cells in order to repair or replace damaged cells and tissues. There are two types of cell therapy, autologous and allogenic. This is an ever-growing field with the potential to create countless doors of opportunities for cancer and other autoimmune disease patients.
The first instance of cell therapy was in 1939 with a patient who had aplastic anemia, which is when the body stops producing new red blood cells(RBC). Researchers transfused bone marrow into the patient, making history as the first stem cell transplant. A decade later the researchers proved aplasia could be treated with bone marrow transfusions.
E. Donnal Thomas and his researchers developed the first allogenic hematopoietic stem cell therapy(HSCT) in 1957. The study consisted of six patients who were treated with chemotherapy and radiation, receiving a bone marrow infusion. The goal of the procedure was to repair and revitalize the damaged cells through the introduction of new cells. Since then, although almost half of HSCT are allogenic, most HSCT are autologous as they carry less risk of complications for the patient.
Diagram of ESC being extracted
Researchers determined Embryonic stem cells(ESC) could be effectively harvested from human embryos and grown in laboratories to be used in cell therapies. Embryonic cells are pluripotent, a characteristic that allows them to convert into almost any type of cell in the body. Although promising, ESC have raised multiple health and ethical concerns. People question if it is morally and ethically correct to harvest ESC from embryos. Others have raised concerns that they could develop into tumors once implanted.
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