Stem cells

Stem cells

Vishnu Devalla, Biomedical Engineering, University of Rhode Island

stem cell is derived from a five day old

In the past several years scientists embryo and embryonic stem cells have

and researchers have made many new the potential to become any type of

discoveries on stem cells. Stem cells specialized cell in our body. There is

have two characteristics that separate also the stem cells that are derived from

them from other cells in our body. Stem an umbilical cord and they have the

cells are unspecialized, and they have the potential to become many different types

ability to transform themselves into any of bloods cells.

type of specialized cell in our body, for Stem cells have the potential to

example they can become a beating cell treat many different problems that arise

of the heart or an insulin-making cell of from damage from differentiated cells.

the pancreas. This ability to change into Stem cells can be used to treat type 1

any type of over 200 different cells has diabetes where the beta cells have been

the potential to treat many types of destroyed by an autoimmune attack,

cancers and tissue damage. Parkinson’s disease where the dopamine

secreting cells of the brain have been

damaged, spinal cord injuries where the

person is paralyzed and cannot control

his or her skeletal muscles, multiple

sclerosis with the loss of myelin sheaths,

blindness due to the damage to the

cornea and many other problems

involving specialized tissue damage.



References:

http://www.kqed.org/quest/television/vie

w/326?gclid=CLKY8_Dw_pUCFQ60Hg

odN0cBEQ

http://www.britishcouncil.org/usa-

Researches and scientists mainly science-topics-stem-cells.htm

work with two types of stem cells http://www.kqed.org/quest/

embryonic and adult stem cells. An http://stemcells.nih.gov/info/basics/basic

adult stem cell can differentiate itself s1.asp

into a specialized cell with certain http://www.britishcouncil.org/usa-

restrictions; adult stem cells can only science-topics-stem-cells.htm

differentiate into cell type of the tissue

where it was originated. An embryonic