Can stem cell research promise any improvement in autoimmune diseases Paper

Can stem cell promise any improvement in autoimmune diseases - Research Paper Example Stem cell research promises improvement in autoimmune diseases. The immune system is the body’s main line of defense against invasion by infectious organisms. The body has many cellular components, and the immune system must be able to differentiate components of invading organisms and of its self to conduct its protection functions effectively. Through this, it only attacks the invading components and not its own components. The immune system may fail to recognize and eliminate invading components on time, and this result in infections. However, autoimmune diseases, such as type 1 diabetes and multiple sclerosis,  occur when the immune system fails to distinguish its own cells or components and attacks them by mistake (Ra, Kang, Shin, Park, Joo, Kim, Kang, Lee, Nakama, Piao, Soh, and Kurtz, 2011). Stem cell research helps explain why the bodys immune system, for some reason, turns against itself. Stem cells helps heal damaged tissues. Researchers have established the use of Haematopoetic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT) in the management of malignant and non-malignant diseases (Holbro, Abinun, and Daikeler, 2012). Currently, research indicates that stem cell therapy induces intense healing action in animals with different forms of autoimmune disorders. Stem cells have the unique ability to adjust the immune system to avert pathological responses while at the same time maintain its ability to repel disease (Hugle and Daikeler, 2010). Stem cells and particularly, mesenchymal stem cells, produce anti-inflammatory agents in inflamed tissues. They do not suppress the immune response of the patient’s whole body like immune suppressive agents such as methothrexate and steroids, which present lasting unfavorable effects, and need for lifetime treatment. Instead, the stem cell mediators act locally. Alan Tyndall confirms that more than 1500 patients have received HSCT as