Stem cells in medicine

• Outline the step of a treatment using stem cells

  1. Extract embryonic stem cells from early embryos
  2. Grow the embryonic stem cells in a laboratory
  3. Stimulate them to differentiate into whichever type of specialised cell that is required
  4. Give them to patient to replace their faulty cells
• Give 2 risks of using stem cells in medicine

  • The stem cells could be infected with a virus whilst in laboratory which could infect the patient
  • As stem cells divide quickly , they could divide uncontrollably and develop into a tumour
• What are the drawbacks of using embryonic stem cells in stem cell therapy ?

  • Limited supply
  • Risk of rejection
  • Ethical issues
• Give 3 uses of plant stem cells

  • Produce clones of whole plants quickly and cheaply
  • Grow more plants of a rare species
  • Produce clones that have desired features for agriculture (e.g growth or disease resistance)
• Give 3 diseases that could be treated with stem cells, and state which type of cells would need to be replaced in each use

  • Sickle cell anaemia - replace faulty red blood cells
  • Paralysis - replace faulty nerve cells
  • Type 1 diabetes - replace faulty pancreatic cells