Anybody with a family member or friend stricken with multiple sclerosis, understands the prolonged devastation synonymous with the degenerative condition. An influx of fundraisers, research, and awareness initiatives haven't prevented an MS diagnosis from leading to a loss of independence, a curtail into depression, and rapidly worsening symptoms. WHAT IS MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS? Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease that attacks myelin, the protective covering of the nerves. Myelin is necessary for the transmission of nerve impulses through nerve fibres. Heavy damage causes scare tissue to replace the myelin, disrupting the nerve impulses and breaking down the nerve fibres themselves. Symptoms include extreme fatigue, lack of coordination, weakness, impaired sensation, vision problems, cognitive impairment, and mood changes. MS patient's nervous systems deteriorate until they are confined to wheelchairs, and their lives end tragically premature. While [...]

Stem cell and PRP therapies have been injecting waves of hope into sufferers of diseases and chronic pain. Whether it be easing the symptoms of osteoarthritis, advancements in cancer care, or aiming to cure diabetes, there's seemingly no limits to the exploratory aspirations of stem cell researchers. Now, we can add curing spina bifida to the list.  Scientists have been searching for a cure to the rare medical condition via experimentation on adorable test subjects: English bulldogs. WHAT IS SPINA BIFIDA? Spina bifida is a birth defect where spinal tissue improperly fuses in utero, causing an incomplete closing of the backbone and membranes surrounding the spinal cord. Afflicting approximately 2000 U.S.-born infants annually, the rare disease comes with a range of cognitive, mobility, urinary, and bowel disabilities. OUR DOGS IN THE FIGHT A pair of English bulldogs [...]

We are on the cusp of a new age in cancer care. Researchers from the Mayo Clinic and the University of Minnesota are employing stem cells as personalized, Robocop-like, cancer-fighting machines. The two illustrious institutions are expected to receive the federal thumbs-up this fall to use these progressive stem cell treatments for particularly rare blood cancers - B-cell forms of lymphoma and leukemia. Like Robocop purging Old Detroit of its cancer - crime - these Robo-stem cells hope to do the same for the real-life condition. SEEK AND DESTROY - CAR T CELLULAR THERAPY The Minnesota clinics are confident in their revolutionary stem cell therapies, dubbed CAR T cellular therapy. This form of stem cell treatment involves doctor's extracting white blood cells from the patient, genetically repurposing them in a lab, and then reinserting them as new, cancer-fighting machines. [...]

Myocardial infarctions, better known as heart attacks, strike almost 600,000 people every year. Advances in medical technology and the skill of medical practitioners have improved recovery rates better than ever. However, it's still a traumatic event that heavily damages the heart, surrounding it with scar tissue. Consequently, medical researchers are attempting to reverse and prevent the damage from a heart attack with various stem cell therapies for the heart. HOW SCAR TISSUE BUILD-UP DAMAGES THE HEART The heart attempts to heal itself by changing the damaged or dead cells into scar tissue, creating an influx which surrounds the heart. Unlike heart muscle tissue, scar tissue does not contract, making it incapable of helping the heart pump. Scar tissue restricts the ability to fill the heart with blood between beats, disrupting rhythm and leading to heart [...]

According to The World Health Organization (WHO), more than 422 million people across the planet are living with one of two types of diabetes. Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is characterized by the body's immune system attacking cells in the pancreas, preventing the organ from producing insulin for the body. Type 2 diabetes (TD2) occurs when the body doesn't know how to utilize the insulin produced in the body. Unlike TD2, which can be cured or reversed with a revamped diet and regular exercise, scientists have yet to find a cure for T1D. Currently, the best form of diabetes treatment is via balanced insulin injections. Not only is this temporary solution cumbersome to perform daily, patients with hypoglycemia (low glucose) unawareness may be unaware when their blood sugar drops to dangerously low levels. Researchers continue to search [...]