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Tuesday 16 July 2013

Adult Stem Cells

Adult stem cells are hidden deep within organs, surrounded by millions  of ordinary cells, and  may help replenish some of the body’s cells when needed. In fact,  some  adult  stem  cells are  currently  being used in therapies. They have been found  in several Scientists believe that  if they are able to use nuclear transfer  to derive  human  stem  cells, it could  allow them  to study  the development and  progression of specific diseases  by  creating  stem  cells containing the  genes  responsible  for  certain  disorders.  In  the future, scientists may also be able to create “person- alized”  stem  cells  that  contain   only  the  DNA  of a specific patient.  The embryonic  stem cells created by nuclear transfer  would  be genetically matched  to a  person  needing  a  transplant, making  it  far  less likely that  the patient’s  body  would  reject the new cells than  it would  be with  traditional tissue transplant  procedures. organs  that  need a constant supply of cells, such as the blood,  skin, and lining of the gut, and have also been found in surprising  places like the brain,  which is not  known  to  readily  replenish  its  cells.


Unlike embryonic  stem  cells, adult  stem  cells are  already somewhat  specialized.   For   example,   blood   stem cells normally  only  give rise  to  the  many  types  of blood  cells, and nerve stem cells can only make  the various types of brain cells. Recent research however, suggests  that  some  adult  stem  cells might  be more flexible  than  previously  thought, and  may be made to produce a wider variety of cell types. For example, some experiments have suggested that blood stem cells isolated from adult mice may also be able to produce liver, muscle, and skin cells, but these results are not yet  proven  and  have  not  been  demonstrated with human  cells. Nevertheless,  scientists are working  on finding a way to stimulate  adult  stem cells, or even other  types  of  adult  cells, to  be  more  versatile.  If they  succeed,  it  could  provide  another source  of unspecialized  stem cells.

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