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Stem Cells
• The process by which cells
Differentiation specialize into different
types of cells
• Some cells become heart
cells, brain cells, liver cells,
skin cells, etc..
• There are about 260
different cell types in the
body!
Stem Cells
Stem cells are undifferentiated cells that have the
remarkable ability to develop into different types
of cells into the body
They serve as sort of a repair system for the body,
they can theoretically divide without limit to
replenish other cells while the person or animal is
still alive
When a stem cell divides, each stem cell has the
potential to remain a stem cell, or become
another type of cell
Types of Stem Cells
Embryonic stem cells
Adult stem cells
• Pluripotent cells which mean
they can form any of the 260
cell types
• Easier to work with than adult
stem cells
• Taken from the interior of a
blastocyst (5-14 day old
embryo)
• Being used in research to
hopefully treat certain
diseases one day
• Ethical debate over whether or
not to use these stem cells
• Multipotent, which means
these cells are partially
differentiated, but can form
a limited number of tissues
• Taken from fetal tissue,
umbilical cord blood, and
adult stem cells
• Used in research to
hopefully treat diseases one
day
Embryonic stem cells are removed from the
inner layer of a blastocyst-then transferred into
a Petri dish with nutrient medium to grow cells
Stem cells being removed from inner
layer of a blastocyst mass- neat!
How can stem cells be used to
treat/cure diseases?
• Stem cells can be used to grow healthy cells
and tissues and used in medical therapies to
replace diseased tissues in sick people
• Diseases such as Parkinson’s disease, diabetes,
Alzheimers disease, spinal cord injuries, burns,
heart disease, stroke, and many more offer
hope with stem cell research
Ethical Concerns of Embryonic Stem
Cell Research(ESTR)
• Some people view the destruction of embryos as
murder, and thus, do not support ESTR, only adult
stem cell research
• Others think the life of people suffering with
diseases is more important than embryos not yet
fully developed into a human being, so these
people support ESTR
• What do you think? Write me a half page to one
page essay on your opinion on embryonic stem
cell research (yes, this is your homework- due
Thursday)