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Embryonic Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine

June 5, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Under appropriate culture conditions, embryonic have demonstrated a remarkable ability to self-renew continuously, that is, to produce more cells like themselves that are multipotent.

Human embryonic stem cells that have been propagated for more than two  years also demonstrate a stable and normal complement of chromosomes. This is in contrast to the unstable and abnormal complement of embryonic cancer cell lines used in the past.

Research on human embryonic stem cells is very recent. The data about properties of stem cells comes from mice. [Read more...]

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Adult Stem cells versus Embryonic Stem Cells

May 23, 2009 By Leave a Comment

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 pluripotent, adult stem cells are  limited to differentiating into their tissue of origin. [Read more...]

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What Are Embryonic Stem Cells?

March 7, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Human Stem CellsEmbryonic 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 body. The embryos from which human embryonic stem cells are derived are typically four or five days old and are a hollow microscopic ball of cells called the blastocyst. [Read more...]

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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 broad types of mammalian stem cells are

  • Embryonic stem cells
    These cells are isolated from the inner cell mass of blastocysts in embryo.In a developing embryo, stem cells can differentiate into all of the specialized embryonic tissues.
  • Adult stem cells
    These are found in adult tissues and participate in  repair system for the body, replenish specialized cells and maintain the normal turnover of regenerative organs, such as blood, skin or intestinal tissues.

Stem cells can now be grown and transformed into specialized cells with characteristics consistent with cells of various tissues such as muscles or nerves through cell culture.

Highly plastic adult stem cells from a variety of sources, including umbilical cord blood and bone marrow, are routinely used in medical therapies. Embryonic cell lines and autologous embryonic stem cells generated through therapeutic cloning are promising candidates for future therapies.

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