• Question: are there current stem cells treatment

    Asked by lilpanda to Anzy, Aoife, Dave, Matt, Tomasz on 15 Nov 2013.
    • Photo: Matthew Tomlinson

      Matthew Tomlinson answered on 15 Nov 2013:

      Yes there are, bone marrow transplants are a form of stem cell treatment and they are used to remake the immune system of people who have diseases like leukaemia. There are also uses for stem cells in treating broken bones, but they’re not that great at the moment, which is why I’m working to make them better. At the moment there are clinical trials for quite a few diseases, for example embryonic stem cells to treat types of blindness, but nothing that is a standard treatment, although hopefully that’s not too far away.

    • Photo: Aoife O'Shaughnessy-Kirwan

      Aoife O'Shaughnessy-Kirwan answered on 15 Nov 2013:

      Hi lilpanda,
      As Matt says bone marrow transplant is probably the most widely used treatment. However skin grafts have also been grown to replace damaged skin and a piece of the eye called the cornea has been grown and transplanted successfully.

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