Stem cells

• A stem cell is a cell with the potential to differentiate into many different types of specialised cells in the body.
• What is the role of stem cells?

  Their role is to replicate by mitosis and to specialised by differentiation , which means that they can repair damaged tissues or cells
• What is potency?


  Potency is the varying ability of stem cells to differentiate into types of specialised cells , how much potential have they got.
• Why are the types of stem cells?

  • Pluripotent
  • Multipotent
• • The pluripotent cells can differentiate into any type of specialised cell in the body. eg. embryonic cells
  • The multipotent cells can only make some types of specialised cells of the blood. Eg. Adult stem cells
• What does this picture show?

  Fertilisation

  
• What does this picture show?

  Dividing by mitosis

  
• What does this picture show?

  Further division by mitosis

  
• What does this picture show?


  Ball of unspecialised cells called a blastocyst