The seven-time World Champion driver, Michael Schumacher, is set to go through stem cell treatment trying to recover his nervous system
Back in 2013, Schumacher experienced an extreme brain injury in a skiing mishap. Since sustaining the extreme life changing injury for more than 6 and a half years prior, the Formula 1 symbol's state of health has been carefully hidden by his family and everyone around him.
The Italian media have as of late, announced Schumacher to be experiencing muscle degeneration and osteoporosis because of being bed-ridden for a considerable length of time.
The upcoming stem cell surgery is part of an ongoing series of ‘part experimental’ treatments which aim to produce a systemic anti-inflammatory effect to the damaged areas of Schumacher’s body. Schumacher will receive the treatment by renowned surgeon, Professor Philippe Menasche.
This isn't the first time that Menasche has done this procedure on the Formula 1 driver. In September 2019, Schumacher got a spearheading stem cell treatment from Menasche to treat cardiovascular breakdown. The treatment was a triumph and has since given desire to a great many individuals who experiencing comparable conditions.
The objective of the procedure is to "recover Michael's nervous system", as per Neurosurgeon Dr Nicola Acciari. Various sources have said that the treatment could affect Schumacher's whole body and perhaps his mind.
French paper, Le Dauphine, has revealed that Schumacher is to go through the medical procedure inside the following two or three days.
What is stem cell therapy and how does it work?
Stem cell therapy, also known as regenerative medicine, promotes the repair of damaged tissue and cells using stem cells. These stem cells are manipulated to specialise into specific types of cells, such as heart muscle cells, nerve cells or blood cells.
Stem cell treatment involves replacing damaged cells within the body with healthy ones sourced from bone marrow, blood, fat , umbilical cord etc. This can be done by injecting stem cells into parts of the body in order to repair damaged muscles and tissue.
Doctors have been routinely using stem cell to treat some types of cancers and blood-related diseases, such as leukaemia and lymphoma.
What are the different sources of stem cells?
Over the years, researchers have discovered several sources of stem cells, including embryonic stem cells, adult stem cells found in bone marrow or fat, as well as umbilical cord stem cells. Mesenchymal stem cells from fat and Hematogenous stem cells from bone marrow
Whilst stem cells can be found in many parts of the human body, some sources contain richer concentration than others. In particular, Mesenchymal cells from fat are the richest source of stem cells a person will ever have. Mesenchymal stem cells have gained significant traction in the world of regenerative medicine in recent years due to their unique ability to self-renew and divide into specialised cells.
Unlike other stem cells such as embryonic stem cells which have caused significant controversy over the years, mesenchymal stem cells are collected from fat in a completely Minimally invasive and sterile procedure.
Cells from mesenchymal tissue like fat are considered to be an extremely important part of future developments within regenerative medicine and are currently being researched today to treat brain injury, cerebral palsy, hearing loss, bone fractures and many more.