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Over the past few years there has been an increased interest into the research of stem cells. This may be due to the recent evidence that stem cells may provide the answer to cure many cell based diseases such as Parkinson’s disease, a variety of cancers and blood diseases and juvenile diabetes. It is the stem cell’s unique ability to change into a more specialised cell or reproduce into a whole population of more cells that has interested scientists and lead them to divert their attention towards stem cells as an alternative form of treatment. This essay is aimed to introduce the concept of stem cell, and provide a better understanding of what they are and how they can be uses as a means of treatment for individuals who may have various diseases affecting the function of certain cells. ...
What is a stem cell?
All normal growth and development rely on the production of new cells made from cell division. But more specialised cells such as blood cells or cells in the gut have the inability to divide and reproduce copies of themselves, they are therefore replaced by stem cells. Stem cells can be defined as “an undifferentiated cell that is able to renew itself and produce all specialised cells within an organ” (1). ... They are not specific cells like red blood cells whose main function is to carry oxygen to respiring cell (2).Secondly they have the ability to proliferate, which means they can divide into more stem cells and renew themselves over a long period of time More specialised cells like muscle cells are unable to do this. ... Stem cells can divide and reproduce specialised cells and this is recognised by the term differentiation. ... All stem cells have these properties and it is this that enables them to carry out their function.
What are the types of stem cells and where do they come from?
There are two types of stem cells.
Approximate Word count = 1603
Approximate Pages = 6.4
(250 words per page double spaced)
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