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At Park Avenue Stem Cell Therapy Center in New York City they are also investigating the effectiveness of using a technique called stromal vascular fraction (SVF) to treat a range of degenerative conditions including Alzheimer’s. This method, imported from Asia, uses some of the patient’s own fat cells (adipose) to extract stem cells that are then injected back into the patient. If these methods prove effective, doctors may be able to treat Alzheimer’s with day surgery in the near future.

Age Related Frailty

As promising as all of these research studies are, none of them address the problem of the age related frailty we deal with as we get older. The results of two separate recent studies released in The Journals of Gerontology show potential to do exactly that. Patients in their 80’s and 90’s received infusions of stem cells in a double blind study. The majority of patients showed significant improvement in brain function, heart health, and overall fitness levels. As with all other stem cell research it’s still too early to say for sure that such treatments will help all patients, but as further studies are conducted methods are likely to improve. If the results so far are any indication, there’s real reason for optimism.  The probability of full FDA approval being granted for age related stem cell therapy in the next 5 to 10 years is a real possibility.

Blood Stem Cells

Another promising study is exploring the idea of using blood stem cells to restore the health of the blood in older individuals. This study hasn’t reached the point of human trials yet, but they’ve had success in testing the procedure in mice. As we age our hematopoietic stem cells deteriorate and this makes it harder for the body to fight of diseases such as cancer. A study at Weill Cornell Medicine has successfully replaced these cells in older mice with donor cells from young mice. The procedure doesn’t harm the young mice, but it does return the blood in older mice to a healthy state making then better able to fight off diseases.

Perhaps Aging Can Be Reversed

It remains to be seen whether we can extend the length of human life through stem cell therapy. There does seem to be strong evidence that we can reverse some of the effects of age related disease and degeneration though. The next few years will be critical in determining just how far we’ve really come.