Stem cells

• Embryonic stem cells can turn into any type of cell.
• Undifferentiated cells are cells that have not specialised to carry out a particular function.


  They can divide to produce lots more undifferentiated cells. They can differentiate into different types of cell.
• Some people are against stem cell research.

  1. they feel human embryos shouldn’t be used for experiments since each one is a potential life.
  2. others think that curing patients who already exist and who are suffering is more important than the rights of an embryo.
• Stem cells can produce identical plants.

  1. In plants, stem cells are found in the meristems. (Where growth occurs in a plant).
  2. throughout the plants entire life, cells in the meristem tissues can differentiate into any type of cell.
  3. these stem cells can be used to produce clones of whole plants quickly and cheaply.
  4. they can be used to grow more plants or rare species (Prevent extinction).
  5. stem cells can also be used to grow crops of identical plants that have desired features for farmers e.g. Disease resistance.
• In a type of cloning called therapeutic cloning, an embryo could be made to have the same genetic info as the patient. This means that the stem cells produced from it would also contain the same genes and so wouldn’t be rejected by the patients body if used to replace faulty cells.


  However there are risks involved in Using stem cells in medicine. E.g stem cells grown in the lab may become contaminated with a virus which could be passed on to the patient and make them sicker.