STEM

CELLS

INTRODUCTION

Stem cells are represented existing area in medicine because of

their potential to regenerate and repair damaged tissues. Some current therapies,
such as bone marrow transplantation, already make use of stem cells and their
potential for regeneration of damaged tissues.
Stem cells have the remarkable potential to develop into many
different cell types in the body during early life and growth in addition in many
tissues they serve as a sort of internal repair system dividing essentially without
limit to replenish other cells as long as the person or animal is still alive. When
a stem cell divides, each new cell has the potential either to remain a stem cell

or become another cell type with a more specialized function such as a muscle
cell, a red blood cell or a brain cell.
Stem cells are distinguished from other cell types by two important
characteristics

First, they are unspecialized cells capable of renewing themselves through cell
division sometimes after long periods of inactivity, injury or disease.

The unique regenerative abilities stem cells after new potential for treating
diseases such as diabetes and heart disease.
It remains to be done in the laboratory and the clinic to understand
how to use these cells for cell based therapies to treat disease which is also
referred to as reparative medicine.
The research on stem cells continues to advance knowledge about
how an organism develops from a single cell and how healthy cells replace
damaged cells in adult organisms. Stem cell research is one of the most
fascinating areas of contemporary biology but as with many expanding field of
scientific inquiry research on stem cells raises scientific questions as rapidly as
it generates new discoveries.
Stem cells most important ability to differentiate into an enormous range of
healthy functioning adult cells, thereby providing a replacement source of cells
to treat serious disease. This ultimately means that virtually any disease that
results in cellular and tissue destruction can potentially be treated by stem cells.
Some of the conditions are particularly debiliting and these include diabetes,
spinal cord injuries, retinal disease, heart disease and cancer.

Second, under certain psychological or experimental conditions, they can be

induced to become tissue or organ specific cells with special functions.

In some organs such as the gut and the bone marrow, stem cells regularly are
regularly divided to repair and replace worn out or damaged tissues. In other
organs, however such as the pancreas and the heart, stem cells only divide under
special conditions. Two types of stem cells are from animals and humans.
Embryonic stem cells and non embryonic somatic or adult stem cells
The detailed study of the biology of mouse stem cells led to the discovery
in 1998 of a method to drive stem cells from human embryonic stem cells. The
embryos used in these studies were created to reproductive purposes through in
vitro fertilization procedures.
Stem cells are important for living organisms for many reasons, in the 3
to 5 day old embryo called blastocyst the inner cell gives rise to the entire body
of the organism including all of the many specialized cell types and organs such
as the heart, lungs, skin, egg, sperm and other tissues. In some adult tissues,
such as born marrow, muscles and brain discrete populations of adult stem cells.
Generate replacement for cells that are lost through normal wear and tear.
Stem cells are differentiated biological cells that can differentiate into
specialized cells and can divided to reduce more stemcells. They are found in
multi cellular organism. In mammals, there are two broad types of stem cells,
embryonic stem cells, which are isolated from the inner cell mass of blasocysts
and adult stem cells. Which are found in various tissues in adult organism, stem
cells are progenitor cells act as a repair system for the body, replenishing adult
tissues. In a developing embrio, stem cells can differentiate into all the
specialized cells ectoderm, endoderm and mesoderm but also maintain the
normal turnover of regenerative organs, such as blood, skin or intestinal tissues.
There are three known accessible source of autologus adult stem cells in human.
Bone marrow which requires extraction by harvesting, ie drilling in to
bone.

 Adipose tissue, which requires extraction by liposuction .

Blood, which requires extraction through apheresis, where in blood is
drawn from the donor and passed through a machine that extract the stem
cells and returns other positions of the blood to the donor.
Stem cells research is improving by leaps and bounds. They may
soon become the basis for treating diseases. Such as parkinsons diseases,
diabetics heart failure, cerebral palsy, heart disease and host of other chronic
aliments. Although research in to adult stem cells is promising, adult stem
cells may not be as versatile and durable as are embryonic stem cells.
Adult stem cells maynot be able to be manipulated to produce tall
cell types, which limits how adult stem cells can be used to treat diseases.
Adult stem cells also are more likely to contain abnormalities due
to environmental hazards. Such as toxins, or from errors acquired by the cells
during replication,however researches have found that adult stem cells are more
adaptable than was initially suspected.
Stem cells may also be used for screening new drugs and toxins and
understanding birth defects without subjecting human volunteers to the toxin
and drugs.

Conclusion

The stem cells are different and present immense research opportunities
for potential therapy . As research goes forward scientist will undoubtedly find
other similarities and difference between adult and embryonic stem cells.
Predicting the future of stem cell application is impossible, particularly
given very early stage of the science of stem cell biology. To date it is
impossible to predict which stem cells those derived from the embriyo, the
foetus or the adult or which methods for manipulating the cells will best meet
the needs of basic research and clinical applications.

Reference

http://www.stemcells.com/en/technical resources/reference.aspx
http://en.m.wikipedia,or
Stem Cell Biology in Normal Life and Diseases