Stem Cells

Understanding Stem Cells

  • Stem cells are unspecialised cells with the potential to develop into different cell types in the body.
  • They have an ability to self-renew, meaning they can divide and create copies of themselves indefinitely under the right conditions.
  • They are very important in development, and part is the process of zygotes developing into complex multicellular organisms.
  • In adult organisms, stem cells function as a repair system, replenishing adult tissues.

Types of Stem Cells

  • There are two broad types of stem cells: embryonic stem cells and adult stem cells.
  • Embryonic stem cells can turn into more than one type of cell, a trait known as pluripotency.
  • Adult stem cells are usually limited to differentiating into certain types of cells related to their tissue of origin, a trait called multipotency.

Stem Cell Therapy

  • The medical use of stem cells to treat or prevent a disease or condition is known as stem cell therapy.
  • Bone marrow transplants are a well-known type of stem cell therapy that have been conducted for decades.
  • The potential applications of stem cells in treating diseases are extensive, and include treating spinal cord injuries, stroke, burns, heart disease, diabetes, osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

Controversies and Ethical Considerations

  • The use of human embryonic stem cells in research and medicine involves significant ethical issues. The main concerns revolve around the creation, usage and destruction of human embryos.
  • There are also potential risks and challenges associated with stem cell therapies, including problems related to immunosuppression and the possible development of tumours.

Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPSCs)

  • Induced pluripotent stem cells are adult cells that have been genetically reprogrammed to an embryonic stem cell-like state.
  • The development of iPSCs has potentially bypassed the need for embryos in research, providing an alternative source of pluripotency with fewer ethical considerations.
  • iPSCs have also paved the way for patient-specific cell therapy, where a patient’s own cells could be used to generate new healthy tissue, thus minimising the risk of immune rejection.