Exploring the Current Trends of Artificial Intelligence in Stem Cell Therapy: A Systematic Review

The concept of healing in medicine has been taking a new form where scientists and researchers are in pursuance of regenerative medicine. Until now, doctors have "reacted" to disease by treating the symptoms; however, modern medicine is transforming toward regeneration rather than reactive treatment, which is where stem cell therapy comes into the play-the concept of replacing damaged cells with brand new cells that perform the same function better. Stem cell treatment is currently being used to treat autoimmune, inflammatory, neurological, orthopedic, and traumatic disorders, with various research being undertaken for a wide range of diseases. It could also be the answer to anti-aging and a disease-free state. Despite the benefits, numerous errors could prevail in treating patients with stem cells. With the advancement of technology and research in the modern period, medicine is beginning to turn to artificial intelligence (AI) to address the complicated errors that could occur in regenerative medicine. For successful treatment, one must achieve precision and accuracy when analyzing healthy and productive stem cells that possess all the properties of a native cell. This review intends to discuss and study the application of AI in stem cell therapy and how it influences how medicine is practiced, thus creating a path to a regenerative future with negligible adverse effects. The following databases were used for a literature search: PubMed, Google Scholar, PubMed Central, and Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Xplore. After a thorough analysis, studies were chosen, keeping in mind the inclusion and exclusion criteria set by the authors of this review, which comprised reports published within the last six years in the English language. The authors also made sure to include studies that sufficed the quality of each report assessed using appropriate quality appraisal tools, after which eight reports were found to be eligible and were included in this review. This research mainly revolves around machine learning, deep neural networks (DNN), and other subclasses of AI encompassed in these categories. While there are concerns and limitations in implementing various mediums of AI in stem cell therapy, the analysis of the eligible studies concluded that artificial intelligence provides significant benefits to the global healthcare ecosystem in numerous ways, such as determining the viability, functionality, biosafety, and bioefficacy of stem cells, as well as appropriate patient selection. Applying AI to this novelty brings out the precision, accuracy, and a revolution in regenerative medicine. In addition, stem cell therapy is not currently FDA approved (except for the blood-forming stem cells) and, to date, is considered experimental with no clear outline of risks and benefits. Given this limitation, studies are conducted regularly around the world in hopes for a concrete conclusion where technological advances such as AI could help in shaping the future of regenerative medicine.