A stem cell is a essentially a “blank” cell that can mature into other types of cells. It is found in embryos, umbilical cord blood and in some tissues in the human body. Since stem cells can be manipulated to form different types of cells, it has a wide range of applications for treating certain diseases.
Imagine being able to replace those cells in your brain that are not producing enough dopamine resulting in Parkinson’s disease? With stem cell therapy, this will someday be a possibility. For now, stem cells can be used successfully for treating certain types of bone marrow disease where a transplant would be necessary.
What are the Unique Characteristics of Stem Cells?
Properties and Abilities of Pluripotent and Multipotent Stem Cells
A stem cell seems to have an unlimited potential to multiply. This means that one stem cell can be used to grow millions of other stem cells over time. Normal body cells, known as somatic cells, do not have this unique characteristic. A somatic cell can only multiply a certain number of times and once it reaches this limit, it dies without any new cell replacing it.
A stem cell can also differentiate into other types of cells. This unique ability is known as pluripotency if a stem cell can differentiate into any type of cell or multipotency if it can only differentiate into certain types of cells. Somatic cells cannot do this. If a liver cell divides, it can only replicate another cell that is a mirror image of itself.
What is an Embryonic Stem Cell?
Fetal Stem Cells
An embryonic stem cell is a pluripotent stem cell sourced from 4 to 5 day old embryos. It is also known as a fetal stem cell. When the sperm cell fertilizes an egg cell (ovum), an embryo is formed. Within 4 to 5 days, this embryo is a small ball of cells known as a blastocyte. By removing immature cells from the embryo (fertilized in a laboratory) at this stage, medical scientists can isolate embryonic stem cells which can then be programmed to form any type of cell in the body.
Embryonic stem cells have been a hotly debated topic worldwide because the only source for it is unused embryos that were stored for in-vitro fertilization (IVF). Women who no longer want or need these embryos agree to hand it over for medical research but the issue lies around the fact that each embryo had the potential to become a human being.
What is an Adult Stem Cell?
Somatic Stem Cells
An adult stem cell is also known as a somatic stem cell. It should not be confused with normal body cells which are known as somatic cells. Somatic stem cells also have the ability to differentiate into other types of cells but to a limited degree. These stem cells are therefore referred to as multipotent stem cells. They can be found in many locations throughout the body, like the liver, brain, skin and bone marrow. Somatic stem cells are the body’s minute stores to replace cells but are present in very small quantities in the human body.
What is an Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell?
Reprogrammed Stem Cells
These type of stem cells are adult stem cells that are reprogrammed to become blank cells similar to embryonic stem cells. The technique to accomplish this was only discovered in 2007 but has opened the doors for a wide range of medical research and stem cell treatments. By converting an adult stem cell into an induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC), scientists can now use these cells to grow any other type of cell in the body.
More importantly, there is no ethical issues surrounding the use of these stem cells as is the case with embryonic stem cells. Since the adult stem cell is sourced from your body, whether you are an adult or child, the newly reprogrammed iPSC can then be used to grow any type of cell that you may require to treat a disease. And there is no chance of rejection since it was taken from your own body.
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