Apart from the differences in sources human embryonic and adult stem cells each offer advantages and disadvantages when channeled for potential use for cell-based regenerative therapies. They differ in number and type differentiated cell types they can become. Differentiation Capacity While embryonic stem cells can become all cell types of the body because they are [...]
How Are Embryonic Stem Cells Grown In Labortary?
March 20, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Embryonic stem cells,are derived from embryos that develop from eggs that have been fertilized in vitro—in an in vitro fertilization clinic—and then donated for research purposes with informed consent of the donors. The embryos from which human embryonic stem cells are derived are typically four or five days old and are a hollow microscopic ball [...]
What Are Adult Stem Cells and Where Are They Found?
March 19, 2009 By Leave a Comment
An adult stem cell is an undifferentiated cell found among differentiated cells in a tissue or organ. These cells can renew themselves and can differentiate to yield the major specialized cell types of the tissue or organ. The primary roles of adult stem cells in a living organism are to maintain and repair the tissue [...]
How Do Stem Cells Develop and Work?
March 8, 2009 By Leave a Comment
What Are Embryonic Stem Cells?
March 7, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Embryonic stem cells, as their name suggests, are derived from embryos. Specifically, embryonic stem cells are derived from embryos that develop from eggs that have been fertilized in vitro—in an in vitro fertilization clinic—and then donated for research purposes with informed consent of the donors. They are not derived from eggs fertilized in a woman’s [...]
What Are Essential Properties of Stem Cells?
March 4, 2009 By Leave a Comment
The classical definition of a stem cell requires that it possess two properties Self-renewal The ability to go through numerous cycles of cell division while maintaining the undifferentiated state. Potency The capacity to differentiate into specialized cell types. This requires stem cells to be either totipotent or pluripotent – to be able to give rise [...]
Understanding Stem Cells – The Concept of Potency
March 2, 2009 By 1 Comment
To understand stem cells better, we need to understand the concept of potency. Potency defines the potential to differentiate into different cell types. of the stem cell. Totipotent or omnipotent stem cells These cells can differentiate into embryonic and extraembryonic cell types. Such cells can construct a complete, viable, organism. These cells are produced from [...]
What Are Stem Cells?
March 1, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Stem cells are special types of cells which have the characteristic ability to renew themselves through mitotic cell division [ A kind of cell division in which two similar cells are produced from one cell] and differentiating into a diverse range of specialized cell types. Stem cells are present in most multi-cellular organisms. The two [...]