Stem Cells

Proposed Titles:

1: Use of Stem Cells in Regenerative Medicines.

2: Use of Stem Cells in the control of many diseases.

Stem cells are one of the most fascinating areas of biology today. But like many expanding fields of scientific inquiry, research on Stem Cells raises scientific questions as rapidly as it generates new discoveries.

Stem cells are the "ancestral" cells that turn into the various specialized organs and tissues of the body. Many scientists believe that stem cells could produce promising therapies for many diseases and injuries. Stem cells are one of the most fascinating areas of biology today. But like many expanding fields of scientific inquiry, research on stem cells raises scientific questions as rapidly as it generates new discoveries.

Stem Cells have two important characteristics that distinguish them from other types of cells. First, they are unspecialized cells that renew themselves for long periods through cell division. The second is that under certain physiologic or experimental conditions, they can be induced to become cells with special functions such as the beating cells of the heart muscle or the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas.

Scientists primarily work with two kinds of Stem Cells from animals and humans: Embryonic Stem Cells and Adult Stem Cells, which have different functions and characteristics. Scientists discovered ways to obtain or derive Stem Cells from early mouse embryos more than 20 years ago. Many years of detailed study of the biology of mouse stem cells led to the discovery, in 1998, of how to isolate stem cells from human embryos and grow the cells in the laboratory. These are called human embryonic stem cells. The embryos used in these studies were created for infertility purposes through in vitro fertilization procedures and when they were no longer needed for that purpose, they were donated for research with the informed consent of the donor.

Properties of stem cells:

Stem cells have following properties:

Proliferate extensively and generate sufficient quantities of tissue.
Differentiate into the desired cell type(s).
Survive in the recipient after transplant.
Integrate into the surrounding tissue after transplant.
Function appropriately for the duration of the recipient's life.
Avoid harming the recipient in any way.

Stem Cells are important for living organisms for many reasons. In the 3- to 5-day-old embryo, called a blastocyst, stem cells in developing tissues give rise to the multiple specialized cell types that make up the heart, lung, skin, and other tissues. In some adult tissues, such as bone marrow, muscle, and brain, discrete populations of adult stem cells generate replacements for cells that are lost through normal wear and tear, injury, or disease.

It has been hypothesized by scientists that Stem Cells may, at some point in the future, become the basis for treating diseases such as Parkinson's disease, Diabetes, and Heart disease. Some of the conditions for which stem cells can provide treatment include: Cancer, Multiple Sclerosis, Sickle-cell Anemia, Leukemia, Spinal Cord injury, Parkinson's disease and many more.

Scientists want to study Stem Cells in the laboratory so they can learn about their essential properties and what makes them different from specialized cell types. As scientists learn more about Stem Cells, it may become possible to use the cells not just in cell-based therapies, but also for screening new drugs and toxins and understanding birth defects. However, as mentioned above, human embryonic stem cells have only been studied since 1998. Therefore, in order to develop such treatments scientists are intensively studying the fundamental properties of stem cells, which include:

1.Determining precisely how Stem Cells remain unspecialized and self renewing for many years.
2.Identifying the signals that cause stem cells to become specialized cells.

Research on Stem Cells is advancing knowledge about how an organism develops from a single cell and how healthy cells replace damaged cells in adult organisms. This promising area of science is also leading scientists to investigate the possibility of cell-based therapies to treat disease, which is often referred to as regenerative or reparative medicine.

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