The I-Guana Shot Protocol, An Intracavernosal Application of Wharton's Jelly Stem Cells for the Treatment of Erectile Dysfunction, Phase II Study

Abstract

Umbilical cord has become an increasingly used source of mesenchymal stromal cells for preclinical and, more recently, clinical studies. Different clinical uses on multiple anatomical structures have demonstrated the safe use of the umbilical cord tissue and derivates with multiple potentially different options to treat difficult diseases or clinical conditions. Immunophenotypic analysis and characterization of stem cells isolated from Wharton’s jelly via various methods is currently underway in clinical research. Stem cells are the body’s basic cells from which all other cells with specialized functions are generated. Under the right conditions in the body or perinatal environment, stem cells divide to form more new cells. These new cells become stem cells (self-renewal type of cells), and can also become specialized cells (differentiated) with more specific functions, such as blood cells, brain cells, heart muscle, urinary and genital tract, bone, etc. No other cell in the body has the natural ability to generate new cell types as stem cells do. As with any emerging scientific/medical field having such incredible potential, numerous research trials and data gathering efforts are currently being conducted world-wide. New data is being reported daily that present compelling cases for therapies using certain pathologies on selected patients. Scientists have been working for decades to harness the regenerative “power” of stem cells for the possible repair and rejuvenation of certain organs to activate tissue regeneration. The ultimate objectives of all these studies are the same: deliver transformative therapies. The capacity for these cells to transform into whatever cells or tissues that the body may need to regenerate itself could, within the next 3 generations, potentially provide the means to successfully treat blindness, spinal cord injuries, diabetes, cystic fibrosis, muscular dystrophy, or even erectile dysfunction in affected patients. Such future outcomes may be possible for candidate patients who are fortunate enough to have access to those scientific and evidence- based medical protocols that use such potent biological sources. It is vital that, in the light of the dazzling potential, mesenchymal stem cells research and medical applications continue, especially for compassionate medical use (e.g. for No Option patients).