Biotechnology

• Stem cells


  Undifferentiated cells or blank cells that do not have a specific job or function
• Stem cells


  • Capable of developing cells that serve many functions in different parts of our body
  • Can split up through mitosis to produce more stem cells
  • Can remain a stem cell or turn into differentiated cells
  • Can renew themselves for a long period of time
• Differentiated cells


  The most cells in the body that can serve a specific purpose in a specific organ
• Differentiated cells


  • Nerve cells
  • Red blood cells
• Our body uses stem cells to replace destroyed cells when they die
• The lining of the human intestine can be completely replaced every four (4) days using stem cells beneath the lining
• Stem cell researchers are working to find ways on how stem cells can be used to create new tissue to replace the parts of organs that are damaged by a disease
• Stem cell technology can be useful for

  • Treating and understanding a variety of malignant and non-malignant diseases
  • Growing new cells in a laboratory to replace or restore damaged organs or tissues
  • Treating parts of organs that are not functional
  • Conducting research about the main causes of genetic defects in cells, how diseases take place, or why certain cells grow into cancer cells
  • Checking new drugs for well-being and effectiveness
• Cell Potency


  The ability of a cell to differentiate into other cell types
• Classes of stem cell based on potency

  • Totipotent
  • Pluripotent
  • Multipotent
  • Unipotent
• Totipotent


  The ability to differentiate into all possible cell types
• Pluripotent


  The ability to differentiate into derived almost all cell types
• Multipotent


  The ability to differentiate into a closely related family of cells
• Unipotent


  The ability to only produce cells of their own type, but have the property of self-renewal required to be labeled a stem cell
• Types of stem cells

  • Embryonic stem cells
  • Induced pluripotent stem cells
  • Adult stem cells
• Embryonic stem cells (ESCs)


  Derived from human embryos that are three to five days old, harvested during in vitro fertilization, can give rise to virtually any other type of cell in the body, can renew themselves indefinitely
• Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs)


  Stem cells that scientists have recently discovered how to turn adult stem cells into, can differentiate into all types of specialized cells in the body, potentially produce new cells for any organ or tissue, generated from reprogrammed somatic cells, similar or equivalent to ESCs
• Adult stem cells


  Identified in many organs and tissues, generally associated with specific anatomical locations, used by the body to replace and repair damaged tissue in the same area in which they are found, cannot differentiate into as many other types of cells as embryonic stem cells
• Adult stem cells


  • Hematopoietic stem cells found in the bone marrow, can make new red blood cells, white blood cells, and other types of blood cells
• There has been controversy on the way human embryonic stem cells are obtained, as the embryo is destroyed during the process of harvesting embryonic stem cells
• The opponents believe that an embryo is a living human being and this should not be used for research, and that the embryo should have the same rights as every other human and should be protected