Written by Dr. Matias Fernandez Viña
Many people have asked whether stem cell treatment can help COVID-19 patients.
The answer is yes, with qualifications.
First, some background on the different types of stem cells that are available. Only adult stem cells, not embryonic ones, are considered safe for use.
If you come from another human being, are called allogeneic.
If you come from the patient in treatment, this is called autologous. These are the types of cells that are potentially available.
1. SVF: stem cells are isolated from the fat mixed with other cells of the immune system: this preparation is called SVF (stromal vascular fraction). Always are autologous.
Can be prepared and used at one time.
2. ADSC: these are fat cells that can be separated, to grow and expand, and are referred to as ADSC (stem cells derived from adipose tissue). These can be autologous or allogeneic. Autologous cells require weeks for its cultivation. Allogeneic can be available immediately after having been grown previously.
3.BMSC: stem cells of the bone marrow, similar to the ADSC. Can be cultured and expanded, autologous or allogeneic.
4.UCMSC: A type of cell allogeneic isolated from umbilical cord blood at the time of birth, abbreviated to UCMS for umbilical cord blood. These are always allogeneic.
Then, what type of stem cell is potentially more useful for COVID 19?
– SC / BMSC / UCMSC [ALLOGENEIC]: Because that was grown previously, are available immediately. Have been used with good success in a small study from China. They have also been used anecdotally with good success in Israel and in other places.
– SVF: This has also been used with success in Europe. However, it requires the removal of the fat of a minor surgical procedure of a patient potentially serious, while the other procedures do not.
Therefore, while it may help, it is likely that there are limitations in patients in which it may be used for the ACTIVE state of the Disease of Covid-19 but the cells are more promising for the treatment of the sequelae of lung causing Pulmonary Fibrosis Scar.
MECHANISM OF ACTION: The stem cells are "immune-boosting". An overactive immune response fills the lungs of fluid, which causes pneumonia, and sometimes death. Stem cells mitigate / modulate this process and the patient benefits.
There is a debate about whether they also help by other means.
SIDE EFFECTS: mesenchymal stem cells are completely safe if used correctly by a Physician Expert in Regenerative Medicine. Approved medications are also quite safe.
In conclusion...cultured stem cells from fat / bone marrow / umbilical allogeneic are almost certainly effective for patients with COVID 19 and are almost completely safe.
The SVF is likely to be the most effective for the treatment of patients POST-COVID develop sequelae pulmonary important.
If the treatments with mesenchymal cells prove to be more effective than other treatments as they accumulate more data, they may assume a higher-ranking in the hierarchy of effective treatments for science, in a world where Conventional Medicine is no longer 100% protagonist.
