Technology
CELL SOURCES
Stemedica works exclusively with adult sourced stem cells which are undifferentiated cells found among differentiated cells in a tissue or an organ. Adult stem cells can either renew themselves or can differentiate themselves to become the major specialized cell types of a tissue or an organ.
The principal role of adult stem cells in a living organism is to maintain and repair the tissue in which they are found. Adult stem cells are also referred to as somatic stem cells. Many adult tissues contain stem cells: bone marrow, peripheral blood, brain, spinal cord, dental pulp, blood vessels, skeletal muscle, epithelia of the skin and digestive system, cornea, retina, liver and pancreas - with the behavior of these cells differing and dependent on their local tissue environment for regulation.
The purpose of these cells in the body is to maintain the steady state of functioning of a cell or organ, and, with limitations, to replace cells that die because of injury or disease. Stemedica isolates, prepares and manufactures adult stem cells from a number of these areas. It uses allogeneic (donor cells) versus autologous stem cells (from the patient back to the patient), securing the best possible source of tissue in order to create products that are safe and efficacious for pre-clinical and clinical application.
In order to maintain integrity in its tissue sourcing and specimen processing efforts, Stemedica follows these guidelines:
- Stem cell specimens are obtained from donors who sign a written Informed Consent Form reviewed by an Ethics Committee or Legal Counsel of the collecting facility. This form clearly states the intended use(s) of the donated tissue/cells.
- Donors are screened for human pathogens to ensure that the initial collection of tissue/cells have no chance of carrying any type of potentially hazardous or contagious conditions.
- Each specimen is taken immediately to a certified Quarantine Room in a facility that follows cGMP (Current Good Manufacturing Practices) and is processed aseptically by professionally trained tissue technicians.