stem cells

• Cell division is usually kept under control, with most cells only making copies of cells the same as themselves, or being unable to divide at all
• Uncontrolled cell division can lead to tumours or cancer
• Cell differentiation

  An important process by which a cell changes to become specialised
• Specialised cells

  Cells which have developed certain characteristics in order to perform particular functions
• stem cell

  a cell that has the ability to divide many times using mitosis, but still remaining undifferentiated
• 2 types of stem cells:

  • embryonic stem cells
  • adult stem cells
• Embryonic stem cells

  found in the early stage of development of the embryo that can differentiate into any type of cell.
• adult stem cells

  can only make the kind of cell found in the tissue they belong to. (e.g. red and white blood cells in the bone marrow)
• stem cell therapy

  the use of stem cells to treat (or prevent) a disease, and repairing damaged tissues.
• adult stem cells

  are multipotent, they can make multiple types of specialised cells, but not all kinds of cells in your body
• embryonic stem cells

  found in the early stages of the embryo development. before the embryo has implanted into the womb.
• embryonic stem cells

  are pluripotent, they can develop into all the cells that make up an individual.
• when cells changes to be specialised, it called cell differentiation
• embryonic stem cells

  pluripotent
• adult stem cells

  multipotent