Stem cells

Define stem cells

Undifferentiated animal cells that can differentiate into specialised cells

What are 2 main types of stem cells in humans?

Embryonic stem cells, adult stem cells found in various tissues

What are totipotent cells?

Can form all the cell types in a body - including placental cells

Which cells are totipotent?

Embryonic cells within the first couple of cell divisions after fertilisation are the only cells that are totipotent

What are pluripotent cells?

Giv rise to all of the cell types that make up the body - embryonic stem cells are pluripotent

What are multipotent cells?

Develop into more than 1 cell types but are more limited than pluripotent cells. - adult stem cells and blood stem cells are considered multipotent

What are meristem cells?

Cells that have the ability to divide by mitosis and give rise to cells that change into specialised cells

How are stem cells used for burns?

They grow on biodegradable meshes and can produce new skin for burn patients - quicker than taking a graft from another part of a body

How are stem cells used in drug trials?

Potential new drugs can be tested on cultures of stem cells before being tested on animals or humans

How are stem cells used for heart disease?

Muscle tissue is irreplaceably damaged after a heart attack, stem cells used to grow new cardiac ells

How are stem cells used in spinal injuries?

Restored some movement to the hind limbs of rats with damaged spinal cords using stem cells implants

How are stem cells used in parkinson’s disease?

Shaking symptoms caused by death of dopamine - producing cells in the brain, drugs only delay disease progress

How are stem cells used for alzheimer’s disease?

Brain cells destroyed as a result of the build up of abnormal proteins - drugs only alleviate symptoms

How are stem cells used in T1D?

Insulin producing Beta cells in the pancreas are destroyed by the immune system. Stem cells are used to produce Beta cells

List some problems with using stem cells

As stem cellls differentiate they lose their pluripotency, adult stem cells are not as versatile as embryonic stem cells and can’t be manipulated to produce all cell types

How does research use stem cells?

Test new drugs for efficacy and safety in various tissues + tests for side effects and toxicity, understand how cells develop/specialise, investigate causes of diseases