title: Stem cell therapy: a novel & futuristic treatment modality for disaster injuries.
abstract: Stem cell therapy hold the potential to meet the demand for transplant cells/tissues needed for treating damages resulting from both natural and man-made disasters. Pluripotency makes embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells ideal for use, but their teratogenic character is a major hindrance. Therapeutic benefits of bone marrow transplantation are well known but characterizing the potentialities of haematopoietic and mesenchymal cells is essential. Haematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) have been used for treating both haematopoietic and non-haematopoietic disorders. Ease of isolation, in vitro expansion, and hypoimmunogenecity have brought mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) into limelight. Though differentiation of MSCs into tissue-specific cells has been reported, differentiation-independent mechanisms seem to play a more significant role in tissue repair which need to be addressed further. The safety and feasibility of MSCs have been demonstrated in clinical trials, and their use in combination with HSC for radiation injury treatment seems to have extended benefit. Therefore, using stem cells for treatment of disaster injuries along with the conventional medical practice would likely accelerate the repair process and improve the quality of life of the victim.
authors.affiliation: Stem Cell & Gene Therapy Research Group, Institute of Nuclear Medicine & Allied Sciences, Delhi, India. gugdutta@rediffmail.com
authors.forename: G U
authors.initials: GU
authors.lastname: Gurudutta
authors.forename: Neeraj Kumar
authors.initials: NK
authors.lastname: Satija
authors.forename: Vimal Kishor
authors.initials: VK
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.forename: Yogesh Kumar
authors.initials: YK
authors.lastname: Verma
authors.forename: Pallavi
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gupta
authors.forename: R P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Tripathi
mesh_terms: D054508:Acute Radiation Syndrome / Q000628:therapy; D064987:Cell- and Tissue-Based Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D004190:Disasters; D018380:Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D054527:Mass Casualty Incidents; D045164:Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation / Q000379:methods*; D009141:Musculoskeletal System / Q000293:injuries; D009688:Nuclear Reactors; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000628:therapy; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000628:therapy*