As the healthcare field continues to grow and evolve at an accelerated rate, new and advanced technologies are sprouting up everyday and becoming increasingly commonplace. A technology that has garnered both positive and negative attention is transplanting stem cells. Hematopoietic stem cells refer to the body's blood forming blood cells (American Cancer Society, 2013). Here is some background information on these types of stem cells. These cells are young and immature.
Stem cells mostly live in the bone marrow (the spongy center of certain bones), where they divide to make new blood cells. Once blood cells mature, they leave the bone marrow and enter the bloodstream. A small number of stem cells also get into the bloodstream. These are called peripheral blood stem cells. (American Cancer Society, 2013).
Stem cells are unique because they are pluripotent meaning they can give rise to all cell lineages.
Disease can damage blood marrow and tissue. In order to repair this damage, doctors can transplant the stem cells described above into the patient in need. There are a few different names for this kind of transplant procedure. They are: bone marrow transplant, a peripheral blood stem cell transplant, and a cord blood transplant (American Cancer Society, 2013). The process of transplanting these hematopoietic stem cells involves a number of complex steps. The first step involves the patient receiving chemotherapy and/or radiation, which kill the diseased cells. This “conditions” the area (Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, 2014). Next, healthy stem cells are infused into this conditioned area. “These transplanted stem cells will begin to grow and produce healthy red and white blood cells and platelets” (Dana-Farber Can...
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Stem cells are the building blocks of the human body. Embryos consist of unspecialized stem cells that transform into the various specialized cells in the body such as cardiac, muscle or bone cells. Fetuses also have stem cells. However, the stem cells are divided into types like muscle, bone or nerves and don't perform a specialized function. Surprisingly, adult bodies also contain stem cells. In adults, stem cells are undifferentiated but limited to specific tissue type. When needed, the stem cells transform into the cells needed for repair and maintenance. The most common source of adult stem cells is bone marrow. Researchers also acquire stem cells from umbilical cords. Without stem cells, embryos could not develop into fetuses and adult
Adult or somatic stem cells exist throughout the body after embryonic development and are found inside of different types of
Stem cells have the ability to transform into any kind of cell. These cells can divide and also replenish other cells in the body, such as muscle cells, brain cells, red blood cells, or they may just simply remain as stem cells. Stem cells are able to replicate even after long periods of dormancy. They naturally repair damaged tissues and can be experimentally induced to work with particular tissues and organs (NIH, 2013).
Stem cells help us to maintain and heal our bodies, as they are undifferentiated cells, their roles are not yet determined. They have the ability to become anything during early life and growth. Stem cells come from two sources, namely: embryonic stem cells (embryo’s formed during the blastocyst phase of embryological development) and adult stem cells (see figure 3).
Stem cells are mother cells that have potential to develop into a new different cell in the body. It can self-renew or multiply while developing into other types of cells, for example they can become cells of the blood, heart, bones, skin, muscles and brain. Stem cells were discovered in human cord blood in 1978, and in 1998, Thompson, from the University of Wisconsin, isolated cells from the inner cell mass of early embryos (early stage of an animal or person before it is born) and developed t...
First of all, what are stem cells? Stem cells are immature cells that can become specialized into different types of cells, such as a muscle cell or a red blood cell. There are two types of stem cells, adult stem cells and embryonic stem cells. An adult stem cell is a stem cell that is found in already developed tissue
Stem cells come from adult stem cells, and embryonic cells. Embryonic (blastocyst) stem cells come from embryos that are usually three to five days old. They contain 150 cells that are useable for stem cell research. These embryos are usually created as in vitro fertilization (a bunch of eggs that are fertilized but only one is put inside of a woman). Reproduction happens when a male’s sperm is fertilized in a woman’s egg to create a zygote (cell). Scientists can verify the cells are embryonic by them being able to be duplicated and the cells ability to become other cell types; this makes embryonic cells flexible. Adult stem cells are found in adult tissues in very small numbers. These cells are only used in certain areas where they are found such as bone marrow or adipose tissue (fat).
Mayo Clinic Staff. "Stem Cells: What Are They and What Do They Do?" MayoClinic. Mayo Clinic, 13 May 2013. Web. 25 Apr. 2014. .
With basic research, you would find that there are various types of stem cells. The stem cells that have been in question are embryonic stem cells. What is great and necessary about embryonic stem cells are that they are pluripotent, meaning that these cells divide and can turn into any
As stated by John Pearson, once a stem cell is gained through one of these processes it is reproduced in a lab and formed into what is known as a “cell line”. Each cell line was started from a differ...
A stem cell is a special type of ‘starter’ cell that can grow into any kind of adult tissue. It is basically a ‘blank’ cell that can adapt and become a differentiate cell type like a nerve cell, a bone cell, or a skin cell. They are a foundation for every cell, tissue and organ in your body.
Stem cells are unspecialized, meaning that they have the unique potential to become any other type of cell, such as a red blood cell or a brain cell. There are two types of stem cells: embryonic and somatic. Somatic stem cells are found in adults, and, as far as we know, are only capable of becoming specific types of cells (stem cells in the liver can only become liver cells, stem cells in bone marrow can only become red and white
One of the facts that make stem cells so important and such a great asset to healthcare research is that stem cells are not differentiated. Within our bodies, the cells that make up our bodies are programmed to become all of the specific structures in our body such as blood cells or muscle cells. Stem cells do not have this intrinsic programming. They can therefore become any type of cell. When a sperm and egg combine to create a zygote, the zygote rapidly divides which will eventually develop into an embryo and, of course, eventually a human being. The cells that the zygote divides into are the first of these stem cells and develop into the cells that make up the body. When a baby is born, these excess stem cells are in the amniotic fluid and umbilical cord of the baby. However, stem cells still exist within adults, but are usually dormant for the rest of a person’s life. Stem cells remain spread around the tissues, muscles, bones, and blood. Although there is a lot that scientists do not know about stem cells, these stem cells can be activated by various factors like disease and can serve to repl...
Stem cells offer the capability to develop into many different cell types in the body in the time of early life and growth. Furthermore, in many cell tissues they serve as an internal repair system, dividing almost without
Embryonic stem cells have the ability to differentiate into any type of cell. They are mainly found in freshly fertilized eggs, also known as an embryo.5 Adult stem cells are unspecialized and serve the purpose of repairing the tissue they reside in with the use of cell division.6 They are found in tissues and organs along with differentiated cells. There are some similarities and differences regarding these two different types of stem cells. Apart from their abilities and place of origin, embryonic stem cells are very commonly found whereas adult stem cells are rarely found in mature tissues and they are difficult to isolate from their tissue of origin.7