Football is one of the most injury-prone sports athletes can compete in. No player is immune to the risk of injury playing the sport, including stars like Peyton Manning. Peyton Manning is undoubtedly one of the best quarterbacks ever to play the game of football. The last few professional years were a roller coaster ride for Manning who, due to a potential career-ending neck injury, was forced to move on from a team he led to 169 wins and one Super Bowl championship over 13 seasons. Soon after facing this troubling neck injury, the Colts decided not to renew his contract, and many people thought Manning’s career was over.
Peyton Manning and Stem Cell Treatments
Manning was determined to continue his career in football despite his setbacks. In 2011, Manning became one of the most famous people to undergo stem cell treatments, hoping they would help him get back to being the player he once was. He took to Europe to receive his treatments, since American doctors were prohibited from culturing stem cells at the time. The results of Manning’s surgery were questionable. He continued his dominating football performance in following seasons, but whether or not it was because he received stem cell treatment for his injuries is up for debate.
However, Peyton Manning did open the door to discussions around stem cell treatments and the future of regenerative medicine. Since his surgery, the US has performed thousands of hematopoietic stem cell transplants (the only FDA-approved stem cell therapy at this time). Governmental concerns around the ethics of stem cells, especially embryonic stem cells, are still impacting funding and support for these research efforts. Although growing in popularity (77% annual growth rate since 2008), induced pluripotent stem cells are still challenging to produce, requiring expertise, daily maintenance, and lots of funding. In order for stem cell treatments to become accessible to those other than professional athletes, these issues need to be addressed.
Making Stem Cell Treatments More Accessible
The biotech industry has realized the importance of stem cells as treatments and is working to develop ways to make growing this cell type more efficient. StemCultures, LLC is a start-up biotech company whose products were designed to do just that. Based in Albany, NY, the company’s controlled-release StemBeads and DISC Devices overcome short protein half-lives, sustaining the growth factor release for up to 2 weeks in culture. This technology eliminates the need for daily feeding, improves pluripotency, and reduces unwanted differentiation in stem cell cultures. By reducing feeding schedules and improving cell quality, scientists can grow cells more efficiently and effectively, eliminating waste and significantly decreasing costs to produce stem cell therapies.
Many people will remember Peyton Manning for his football legacy, but many will forget how stem cells played a role in his career. Manning showed stem cell treatments are the future of personalized therapies. Now institutions are doing their part to make this option the most efficient and effective treatment for everyone.
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Note: Opinions and accounts expressed herein are those of the author(s) or interviewee(s) and may not reflect those of StemCultures, its officers, or directors.