Stem Cells Replacing Damaged Tissue

Stem cells are unspecialised cells with the ability to divide and become specialised cells of different types. They play an important role in the repair and regeneration of damaged tissues in the body.
In normal cell division (mitosis), cells replicate to form two identical daughter cells. At certain stages of development, some cells retain the ability to differentiate into different types of cells in order to fulfil specialised functions. These are stem cells.
An adult stem cell’s primary function in a living organism is to maintain and repair the organ or tissue in which they are located.
Damaged tissues cannot regenerate by themselves because most human cells are specialised and they can only perform specific functions.
When a cell becomes specialised, it only contains the genetic information needed for its specialised role. So, for example, heart cells can only divide into more heart cells, and cannot develop into nerve cells or liver cells.
Stem cells, however, contain a complete set of genetic material. They have the potential to develop into any type of cell in the body. This means they can replace different types of damaged or lost cells.
For example, stem cells found in the bone marrow can differentiate into varieties of blood cells. If a person had damaged blood cells or bone marrow, the introduction of these stem cells could help replace what’s being damaged or missing.
Similarly, research is ongoing into the use of stem cells for treating neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s, by replacing damaged nerve cells.
However, use of stem cells in medical treatments is still a relatively new field, and some therapies, such as those involving induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), are still largely experimental.
Ethical issues also arise in the use of stem cells, particularly when it comes to embryonic stem cells. These stem cells are obtained from early stages of the embryo, leading to debates about the moral status of the embryo.
In summary, while stem cells have the potential to revolutionise medical treatments and therapies, it’s vital to continue researching and ethically navigate this exciting scientific field.