What are stem cells ?

Answer 1

A stem cell is essentially a cell with potential; it hasn’t yet become a specific, ‘useful’ cell. Stem cells are capable of becoming a variety of ‘useful’ cells. For example, a blood stem cell may become any type of blood cell, such as red or white. The basis of stem cell use in medicine is to manipulate their growth into tissues which people have lost through injury or disease, such as loss of certain brain cells in Parkinson’s disease, and thereby treat diseases previously considered incurable.

THERE ARE INFACT TWO TYPES OF STEM CELL undergoing medical research: Embryonic Stem Cells (ESCs) and Adult Stem Cells (ASCs).

ASCs are taken from a human adult, and usually either transplanted to another part of the body, or artificially encouraged to grow to greater numbers. ESCs are taken from human embryos which have been created artificially. Under the right conditions, these cells can then be grown in a lab, and if given the appropriate chemical signals, can be manipulated to become virtually any type of cell imaginable. In either case the aim is to replace tissues lost through disease.

Those opposed to the use of ESCs strongly advocate the use of ASCs. However, many scientists believe that ASCs are ultimately less useful medically, as they cannot replace all types of cells. They exist in very small amounts and are therefore hard to find, and in extremely limited supply if wanted for transplantation on a large scale. They are also difficult to grow in culture. By contrast, ESCs are easy to isolate, grow and manipulate, and have a greater variety of uses. Thus, they are favoured by scientists as a medical tool. As ASCs come directly from the adult patient, there is essentially no controversy, as there are no life-issues at stake. It is the use of ESCs which
is the cause of the debate, as it involves artificially creating a human embryo, harvesting the cells and then destroying the embryo. The moral objections to this revolve around a fundamental question - when does a group of cells constitute a human life? Put simply, are we playing God, and it is morally acceptable for us to do so? There has been no definitive conclusion, and the argument continues.

The variety of diseases which can potentially be treated with ESCs is huge, ranging from degenerative disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, to diabetes, and even cancer. If successful, it could be the greatest reliever of human suffering since the introduction of antibiotics. However,
the moral arguments surrounding their use do not look set to be resolved any time soon. Regardless, the immense potential medical benefits cannot be ignored, and so research continues amidst the controversy.

Answer 2

Stem cells in humans are primal undifferentiated cells that retain the ability to produce an identical copy of themselves when they divide (clone) and differentiate into other cell types. In higher animals this function is the defining property of the deleted cells. Stem cells have the ability to act as a repair system for the body, because they can divide and differentiate, replenishing other cells as long as the host organism is alive.

Medical researchers believe stem cell research has the potential to change the face of human disease by being used to repair specific tissues or to grow organs. Yet there is general agreement that, "significant technical hurdles remain that will only be overcome through years of intensive research."[1]. Current evidence indicates that some stem cells are involved in assisting cancer's proliferation, or worse yet, some stem cells act as cancer stem cells (CSC).

The study of stem cells is attributed as beginning in the 1960s after research by Canadian scientists Ernest A. McCulloch and James E. Till.

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Answer 3

Stem cells in humans are primal undifferentiated cells that retain the ability to produce an identical copy of themselves when they divide (clone) and differentiate into other cell types. In higher animals this function is the defining property of the deleted cells. Stem cells have the ability to act as a repair system for the body, because they can divide and differentiate, replenishing other cells as long as the host organism is alive.

Answer 4

Stem cells in humans are primal undifferentiated cells that retain the ability to produce an identical copy of themselves when they divide (clone) and differentiate into other cell types. In higher animals this function is the defining property of the deleted cells. Stem cells have the ability to act as a repair system for the body, because they can divide and differentiate, replenishing other cells as long as the host organism is alive.

Medical researchers believe stem cell research has the potential to change the face of human disease by being used to repair specific tissues or to grow organs. Yet there is general agreement that, "significant technical hurdles remain that will only be overcome through years of intensive research." Current evidence indicates that some stem cells are involved in assisting cancer's proliferation, or worse yet, some stem cells act as cancer stem cells (CSC).

The study of stem cells is attributed as beginning in the 1960s after research by Canadian scientists Ernest A. McCulloch and James E. Till.

Stem cell types---
Potency-
The potency specifies the differentiation potential (the potential to differentiate into different cell types) of the stem cell.

TOTIPOTENT stem cells are produced from the fusion of an egg and sperm cell. Cells produced by the first few divisions of the fertilized egg cell are also totipotent. These cells can differentiate into embryonic and extraembryonic cell types.
PLURIPOTENTstem cells are the descendants of totipotent cells and can differentiate into cells derived from the three germ layers.
MULTIPOTENT stem cells can produce only cells of a closely related family of cells (e.g. hematopoietic stem cells differentiate into red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets, etc.).
UNIPOTENTcells can produce only one cell type, but have the property of self-renewal which distinguishes them from non-stem cells.

Answer 5

Stem cells differ from other kinds of cells in the body. All stem cells—regardless of their source—have three general properties: they are capable of dividing and renewing themselves for long periods; they are unspecialized; and they can give rise to specialized cell types.
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Answer 6

Stem cells are what we are all made of before we develop fully in the womb. Based on where in the body the are located they can transform into any type of cell in the body. In addition to unborn fetuses stem cells are also on the umbilical cords that are thrown away after childbirth.

Answer 7

Stem cells are those especialised cells which have ability to convert themselves in other types of cells like blood cells and skin cells,,, still lots of research is going on to synthesize such types of cells

Answer 8

Stem cells have the capacity to replicate themselves into cells with similar properties in order to maintain a pool of precursor cells. Adult stem cells, also called tissue stem cells, are found in differentiated tissues in which, in a controlled manner, they differentiate and/or divide to produce all the specialized cell types of the tissue from which they originate. Adult stem cells are often multipotent, capable to produce several but limited numbers of cell types. ...

Answer 9

A stem cell is a cell whose job in the body is not yet determined. That is why they are so important, yet controversial in the medical field- these cells can become anything- a liver, skin, etc.

Answer 10

stem cells are cells that can become any type of cell