Stem Cells for Cell-Based Therapies
The world of stem cells
We know the human body comprises many cell types (e.g., blood cells, skin cells, cervical cells), but we often forget to appreciate that all of these different cell types arose from a single cell—the fertilized egg. A host of sequential, awe-inspiring events occur between the fertilization of an egg and the formation of a new individual:
Embryonic stem (ES) cells are also called totipotent cells.
The first steps involve making more cells by simple cell division: one cell becomes two cells; two cells become four cells, etc.
Each cell of early development is undifferentiated; that is, it is not yet specialized to carry out a specific body function. Cells of early development have the capability to contribute to all of the organs in an individual and are called totipotent.
These totipotent cells are embryonic stem (ES) cells and have both the capacity to self-renew, thereby maintaining a continuous supply of stem cells, and the ability to give rise to specialized (differentiated) cell types, such as liver cells or brain cells.
Generally, as cells differentiate and become specialized, they lose their ability to divide.
Stem cells also exist in adults and have varying abilities to self-renew.
In addition to embryonic stem cells, stem cells also exist in adults (adult stem cells) that allow specific tissues to regenerate throughout an individual’s life. They also have the ability to self-renew and can give rise to a subset of differentiat...
Source: ActionBioscience - Category: Biology Authors: Ali Hochberg Source Type: news
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