The latest discovery in regenerative medicine
Exosomes are of immense biological interest to the medical world due to their healing powers.
Clinical trials are happening to explore the:
- Regeneration of damaged heart tissue after a heart attack.
- Possibility of using exosomes and chemotherapy to target tumours
- Inhalation of exosome therapy to target inflammation in lungs
- Use of exosomes for Covid 19 therapy for organ breakdown
What are exosomes I hear you ask?
I am going to explain in the most simple way that I can.
It starts with Stem Cells
These are cells which perform a specific function in our bodies,from muscle cells, skin cells to brain cells.
Stem cells divide and form a constant supply of new stem cells. For example, in skin we need a constant supply of bottom layer skin cells as these get pushed up to the top of our skin and fall off.
Over time, our stem cells get a little weary due to age deterioration, pollution, uv damage etc. Therefore we need to try and keep them in tip top condition so that when they divide, the new cells are in optimum health.
The new medical breakthrough way to do this is by using exosomes.
Exosomes are tiny little *bubbles released from stem cells containing energy, growth factors and proteins. They travel between cells, telling them how and when to react. Exosomes are actually communicators between cells, like mobile phones between people.
Originally it was thought that these bubbles were the cells’ way of disposing of their waste.
Now it has been proven that these little exosomes, far from being waste, are in fact the most important medical findings in a long time. Potentially on a similar scale to the discovery of penicillin, anaesthetic and paracetamol.
Exosomes have been found to be able to:
- Cross the blood brain barrier, making them very interesting for neurological uses.
- Restore blood supply in stroke victims
- Be targeted to regenerate organs such as the brain, lungs, liver or kidneys and of course skin, the largest organ in the body.
And what do we do best? Skin of course.
So why are they so important to us in skin treatments?
Acne, Rosacea, Dermatitis, Psoriasis, Eczema
These are inflammatory conditions of the skin.
Exosomes are amazing at promoting cytokine activity in our skin. This means that the healing properties that our own bodies possess are intensely activated, having a calming effect on skin, helping to take away redness and swelling.
The signals that the exosomes give out are to repair the damaged cells, create new tiny blood vessels which feed our skin and take away toxins.
The growth factors contained in the exosomes stimulate a variety of cellular processes such as collagen and elastin production to help repair the skin.
Ageing
Because as we age, our cells in the dermal and epidermal layer of our skin begin to degrade making our skin look wrinkly and unevenly pigmented.
Our melanocyte cells have suffered damage due to UV light penetration over the years thereby going into overdrive and producing too much melanin in certain areas giving us brown spots.
General pollution in the air causes oxidative stress in the cells and causes them to become weaker and not work as well as they should.
Nutrition also is sucked up by our major organs leaving very little for thExosomes can reboot the quality of our skin. By using huge quantities of exosomes (derived from younger cells than ours) in a facial treatment, the cells that need reformatting, get strong signals and large amounts of proteins, growth factors and many other vital ingredients. This returns our cells to functioning at optimal fitness and vitality making healthier, stronger, better performing cells.
*Bubbles – extracellular vesicles
