Stem cell therapy is gaining popularity in India to treat a wide variety of medical conditions including Leukaemia, Thalassemia, damaged cornea and servere burns. Describe briefly what stem cell therapy is and what advantages it has over other treatments? (10 Marks)

Stem cells are undifferentiated cells capable of self-renewal and differentiation into specialised cell types; therapy uses this regenerative potential to replace or repair damaged tissue.

How it works

In haematopoietic transplantation, compatible bone-marrow or cord-blood stem cells rebuild a patient’s blood-forming system after diseased cells are treated. Tissue-specific and induced pluripotent approaches seek targeted regeneration, subject to clinical evidence.

Advantages

• Potentially restores function rather than only controlling symptoms.
• Can provide life-saving treatment for selected blood cancers and inherited disorders.
• May reduce dependence on repeated transfusion or lifelong medication in suitable cases.
• Autologous cells may reduce rejection, while banked allogeneic cells expand availability.

Cautions

Risks include graft-versus-host disease, infection, rejection, tumour formation and unproven commercial claims; ethical oversight and regulation are essential.

Keywords: biotechnology; medical technology; stem cell therapy.