Stem Cells

• • Cells that are able to develop into specialized cells
• • They have the ability to 

      - undergo mitotic division

      - differentiate into several different types of cells
• • Found in multicellular organisms
• • Two types

    -Adult stem cells   PLURIPOTENT (differentiates into all types specialized cells) 

    -Embryonic Stem cells MULTIPOTENT (differentiates into only types of blood cells: red blood cell, white blood cells, platelets)
• • Stem cells are cells in animals that remain unspecialized and continue dividing. When an animal grows, stem cells produce more cells so the animal can grow larger
• • Early in development, human embryos have totipotent stem cells, can become any kind of cell in the body
• • As the embryo develops, its stem cells become pluripotent. They can produce many but not all types of cells
• • Late in development and after birth, people only have adult stem cells which can only produce specific cells 
• MPoC

  • Embryonic stem cells are found in very young embryos; less than a week old
  • Under laboratory conditions, totipotent cells are able to keep dividing for a year or even longer
  • Scientists can use embryonic stem cells to grow human tissues in the lab to understand diseases, and discover/test drug treatments for various conditions and diseases
  • Including HIV/AIDs treatment, vaccine development for various viruses, arthritis and cystic fibrosis drug therapies and more
• Ethics and Stem Cells

  • Scientists obtain these cells from eggs fertilized in a lab (in vitro)
  • Sources are usually unused embryos from fertility clinics. Obtaining stem cells destroys the embryo.
• • IPS - induced pluripotent