Stem cells in medicine

• How can stem cells be used to treat diabetes?

  By replacing damaged pancreas cells
• What condition can stem cells help treat related to paralysis?

  By producing healthy nerve cells
• What are the two important features of stem cells?

  They can divide and differentiate
• What are the two main types of stem cells?

  Embryonic and adult stem cells
• Where are embryonic stem cells found?

  In the early embryo
• What can adult stem cells differentiate into?

  Different types of blood cells
• What causes type 1 diabetes?

  Damage to pancreas cells producing insulin
• What is sickle cell anemia caused by?

  Misshapen red blood cells
• What is the basic idea behind using stem cells in medicine?

  To replace faulty cells with healthy ones
• How do scientists stimulate stem cells to differentiate?

  By growing them in a laboratory
• What is a common technique for using embryonic stem cells?

  Extracting and growing them in a lab
• How would scientists treat a diabetic patient using stem cells?

  By injecting differentiated pancreas cells
• What is a drawback of using embryonic stem cells?

  Limited supply and ethical issues
• Why might a patient's immune system reject stem cells?

  Different genomes between embryo and patient
• How can the risk of rejection be reduced?

  By giving medications to suppress the immune system
• What is a benefit of using adult stem cells?

  They can be taken from the patient themselves
• What is a limitation of adult stem cells?

  They can only differentiate into blood cells
• What are the two potential risks involved with using stem cells?

  Virus transmission and tumor development
• What does virus transmission refer to in stem cell therapy?

  Infected donor cells transferring viruses to patients
• What is tumor development in the context of stem cells?

  Stem cells dividing uncontrollably after transplantation
• What is the ethical objection to using embryonic stem cells?

  Potential for human life in embryos
• What do some people believe is more important than embryo rights?

  Curing suffering in existing people
• Where do the embryos used in research typically come from?

  Unwanted embryos from fertility clinics
• How is embryonic research regulated in the UK?

  It is legal but tightly controlled