What tissues can stem cells be obtained from?
Stem cells can be obtained from various body tissues: from bone marrow, from adipose
tissue, and even from dental pulp. However, the term stem cells does not always mean the same, and the cells can be "native" to varying degrees and differentiate only to certain cell types.
Technologies are already available that allow to receive stem cells from mature cells, e.g. skin cells, through their genetic "undoing" in development. The argument against the use of such cells is the patient's safety and the risk of uncontrolled proliferation of those cells in the recipient's body.
So what stem cells do we use in therapy and why?
We use specially selected, own patient cells derived from the bone marrow, which is an
effective and safe way of therapy. Taking a small amount of bone marrow is a relatively minimally invasive process, it does not carry the risk of transmitting infectious diseases. We use autologous therapy, i.e. the donor and recipient are the same person. There is no risk of serological conflict or allergic reaction, because the cells used in treatment are the patient's own cells. These cells are not subjected to any procedure introducing genetic changes.
