Stem Cells
Research using stem cells is a controversial and often misunderstood area of modern scientific research. In this exercise you will visit the official National Institutes of Health (NIH) website on stem cell information to gain a greater understanding of the fundamentals of this topic.
Activity:
Go to the NIH site on stem cells: http://stemcells.nih.gov/index.asp and click on the Info Center link “Stem Cell Basics.” Starting with the “Introduction” section, read the information presented.
Use the site’s glossary to find definitions for these important terms:
Cell-based therapies- is the treatment in which stem cells are induced to differentiate into the specific cell type required to repair damaged or destroyed cells or tissues.
Differentiation- the process whereby an unspecialized embryonic cells acquires the features of a specialized cell such as a heart, liber, or muscle cell. Differentiation is controlled by the interaction of a cell's genes with the physical and chemical conditions outside the cell, usually through signaling pathways involving proteins embedded in the cell surface.
Embryonic stem cell line- embryonic stem cells, which have been cultured under in vitro conditions that allow proliferation without differentiation from months to years.
Proliferation- expansion of the number of cells by the continuous division of single cells into two identical daughter cells.
Plasticity-
Pluripotent- the state of a single cell that is capable of differentiating into all tissues of an organism, but not alone capable of sustaining of organismal development.
Differentiation- the process whereby an unspecialized embryonic cells acquires the features of a specialized cell such as a heart, liber, or muscle cell. Differentiation is controlled by the interaction of a cell's genes with the physical and chemical conditions outside the cell, usually through signaling pathways involving proteins embedded in the cell surface.
Embryonic stem cell line- embryonic stem cells, which have been cultured under in vitro conditions that allow proliferation without differentiation from months to years.
Proliferation- expansion of the number of cells by the continuous division of single cells into two identical daughter cells.
Plasticity-
Pluripotent- the state of a single cell that is capable of differentiating into all tissues of an organism, but not alone capable of sustaining of organismal development.
Use this site and/or other resources to figure out the basics of what stem cells are. Be able to answer these questions:
1. What are the unique properties of all stem cells? Explain in your own words what each property means.
So the unique properties of all stem cells are they're capable of dividing and renewing themselves for long periods, they're unspecialized, they can rise to specialized cell type.
2. What are the two main kinds of stem cells used by researchers? What are the major differences between the two types in terms of their sources and usefulness to researchers? Give examples of possible uses for each type of stem cell.
The two main kinds of stem cells used by researchers are embryonic stem cells and non embryonic stem cells. The major difference between the two are their different abilities in the number and the type of cells they can become.
3. List some of the diseases that scientists think may be treated using stem cell research and suggest how stem cells might be used to treat each disease.
Three diseases that scientist think may be treated using stem cell research are diabetes, heart disease, stroke, spinal cord injury, and parkinson disease.
4. What are the necessary characteristics that laboratory-manipulated stem cells will need to have in order to be successfully used in cell-based therapies (what will stem cells need to be able to do)?
The necessary characteristics that laboratory-manipulated stem cell will need to have in order to be successfully used in cell based therapies are to create a significant amounts of tissue and they have to be able to survive after they have been transplanted in the receiver.
The necessary characteristics that laboratory-manipulated stem cell will need to have in order to be successfully used in cell based therapies are to create a significant amounts of tissue and they have to be able to survive after they have been transplanted in the receiver.
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