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 type of cell 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. Second, under certain physiologic 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 bone marrow, stem cells regularly divide 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.
Types of stem cells
1. Adult Stem Cells Many adult tissues contain stem cells that can replace cells that die or restore tissue after injury. Skin, muscle, intestine and bone marrow, for example, each contain their own stem cells. In the bone marrow, billions of new blood cells are made every day from blood-forming stem cells. Adult stem cells are tissue-specific, meaning they are found in a given tissue in our bodies and generate the mature cell types within that particular tissue or organ. It is not clear whether all organs, such as the heart, contain stem cells.
2. Fetal Stem Cells
As their name suggests, fetal stem cells are taken from the fetus. The developing baby is referred to as a fetus from approximately 10 weeks of gestation. Most tissues in a fetus contain stem cells that drive the rapid growth and development of the organs. Like adult stem cells, fetal stem cells are generally tissue-specific, and generate the mature cell types within the particular tissue or organ in which they are found.
3. Umbilical Cord Blood Stem Cells
At birth the blood in the umbilical cord is rich in blood-forming stem cells. The applications of cord blood are similar to those of adult bone marrow and are currently used to treat diseases and conditions of the blood or to restore the blood system after treatment for specific cancers. Like the stem cells in adult bone marrow, cord blood stem cells are tissue-specific.
4. Embryonic Stem Cells
Embryonic stem cells are derived from very early embryos and can in theory give rise to all cell types in the body. However, coaxing these cells to become a particular cell type in the laboratory is not trivial. Furthermore, embryonic stem cells carry the risk of transforming into cancerous tissue after transplantation. To be used in cell transplant treatments the cells will most
likely need to be directed into a more mature cell type, both to be
therapeutically effective and to minimize risk that cancers develop. While these cells are already helping us better understand diseases and hold enormous promise for future therapies, there are currently no treatments using embryonic stem cells accepted by the medical community.
Potency of stem cells:
Totipotent stem cells: can differentiate into embryonic and extra embryonic cell types. Such cells can construct a complete, viable organism. These cells are produced from the fusion of an egg and sperm cell. The only totipotent cells are the fertilized egg and the cells produced by the first few divisions of the fertilized egg are also totipotent. Totipotent stem cells give rise to somatic stem/progenitor cells and primitive germ- line stem cells. Pluripotent stem cells: are the descendants of totipotent cells and can differentiate into nearly all cells, i.e. cells derived from any of the three germ layers. These pluripotent cells are characterized by self-renewal and a differentiation potential for all cell types of the adult organism. These are true stem cells, with the potential to make any differentiated cell in the body. Embryonic Stem Cells come under this category. Human pluripotent stem cells would be invaluable for in vitro studies of aspects of human embryogenesis. Multipotent stem cells: can differentiate into a number of cells, but only those of a closely related family of cells. These are true stem cells but can only differentiate into a limited number of types. For example, the bone marrow contains multipotent stem cells that give rise to all the cells of the blood but not to other types of cells. Adult Hematopoietic Stem Cells are multipotent. Adipose tissue is a source of multipotent stem cells. Multipotent stem cells form multiple blood cell lineages. Oligopotent stem cells: can differentiate into only a few cells, such
as lymphoid or myeloid stem cells. The corneal epithelium is a squamous
epithelium that is constantly renewing and is Oligopotent. Unipotent stem cells: can produce only one cell type, their own, but have the property of self-renewal, which distinguishes them from non-stem cells. Such Unipotent cells include muscle stem cells. Most epithelial tissues self-renew throughout adult life due to the presence of unipotent progenitor cells.
USES OF STEM CELLS
Alternate to organ transplants, example rebuilding of
bones and cartilage
Increases understanding of many diseases
such as cardiovascular diseases
Test new drugs for effectiveness and safety Regenerative medicine to repair damaged tissues, for example people suffering from Parkinsons disease, burns and strokes etc.
MORAL ISSUES
It is wrong, or even dangerous, to claim that human dignity and a right to life attach only to those human organisms who fulfill specific criteria, said by the opponents of embryonic
stem cell research
Embryos can be treated in the same way as we treat any other bit of tissue as it just a clump of cells it have no sensations or emotions it cannot survive by itself, said by the proponents of embryonic stem cell research
The standard position of both traditional and contemporary
embryology, which is that a human life begins at fertilization.
Fertilization is the clearest moment of discontinuity in life: it is when a
new organism, one with a unique genetic identity, exists for the first time.