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Cord Blood Stem Cells

Umbilical cord blood is a useful source of blood stem cells. Cord blood cells have been used since 1989 to treat many blood diseases in children. After the birth of a baby, cord blood can be collected easily from the umbilical cord with no harm done to the baby or the mother. Cord blood has haematopoietic(blood) stem cells. Haematopoietic stem cells(HSCs) are rare and are usually found in blood marrow. HSCs are able to create every type of cell in the blood. These include red cells, white cells, and platelets. 

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Embryonic Stem Cells 

Embryonic stem cells are obtained from embryos. Most are obtained from eggs that have been fertilized in vitro fertilization clinics and donated for research. They are derived from the inner cell mass of blastocysts of preimplantation-stage embryos. Cells are transferred from a pre-implantation stage to a plastic laboratory dish that contains a culture medium in a process called cell culture. The dish is coated with mouse embryonic skin cells which are treated to prevent division. Then, the cells divide over the dish into a layer called the feeder layer. Generating an embryonic stem cell line is somewhat inefficient so lines are not produced from each culture dish. If the cells do divide, they are plated into another dish to repeat the process. Millions of embryonic stem cells are generated from an established stem cell line. Embryonic stem cells are pluripotent and are able to develop into nearly any cell type. To differentiate into a particular cell type, the cells need specific signals. If the cells are injected directly, they will differentiate into multiple different types of cells. This abnormal pluripotent cell development called a teratoma results in a tumor. If embryonic stem cells can be reliably generated into specific cell types in the future, they could be used to treat many degenerative diseases and be a great asset to healthcare. There are still many challenges that are faced to develop human embryonic stem cell based therapies and much more research is needed before they can be implemented to treat patients.   

 

 

Adult Stem Cells

Adult stem cells are undifferentiated cells which are found throughout the body. They have been found in the brain, bone marrow, blood vessels, skeletal muscle, skin, teeth, heart, liver, and other organs and tissues. Also known as somatic stem cells, they are found naturally in the human body and divide and create new cells when activated by tissue injury or disease.

They are isolated from the body in many different ways depending on the tissue and then developed in cell culture into large enough numbers to be useful for treatment. Researchers have been finding adult stem cells in many more tissues then before and are working to control their differentiation to use in transplantation based therapies. 

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Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells

Induced pluripotent stem cells are adult stem cells that have been genetically changed into pluripotent embryonic stem cell-like states. Like embryonic stem cells, this gives IPSCs the ability to develop into nearly any cell type in the body. While scientists hope to use them in transplantation medicine, the viruses that are used to introduce the reprogramming factors into the adult stem cells in animal studies have sometimes caused cancers. IPSC tissues, though, have a low chance of rejection by the immune system because they are nearly identical to the cell donor. This strategy of creating pluripotent cells will be beneficiary in helping researchers learn to repair damaged tissues in the human body. 

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Different Types of Stem Cells

What are stem cells?

Stem cells are cells that are able to develop into many different types of cells in the body throughout early life and growth and serve as repair systems for the body. Stem cells in many tissues have the ability to divide into new stem cells or new cells with more specialized functions like muscle or red blood cells. Their capability of renewing themselves through cell division and their ability to become tissue to replace damaged tissue distinguishes them from other cells. Stem cell research could benefit many different areas of medical research. In the future, they may be used to treat many diseases like Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, spinal cord injury, heart disease, diabetes, and arthritis. 

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