Stem Cells

• Stem cells


  Undifferentiated cells which can keep dividing to give rise to other cell types
• Types of stem cells


  • Multipotent cells
  • Pluripotent cells
  • Totipotent cells
• Multipotent cells


  • Can give rise to different types of cells
• Pluripotent cells


  • Able to give rise to many types of specialised cells, but not placental cells
• Totipotent cells


  • Can give rise to all / any types of specialised cells, including placental cells
• Sources of stem cells


  • Embryonic stem cells
  • Adult stem cells (collected from adult bone marrow)
• Stem cells can be used to treat a variety of diseases such as diabetes, multiple sclerosis & parkinson's disease
• Stem cells can be used to replace damaged tissues such as nerve tissue in spinal cord injuries
• There are many ethical issues related to the use of stem cells
• Use of stem cells could save many lives and improve the quality of life of many people
• Many people believe use of stem cells is unethical as embryos are killed in the process of embryonic stem cell extraction
• There's a risk of infection when stem cells are transplanted
• Transplanted stem cells could become cancerous