What Are Stem Cells?

Stem cells are very special, powerful cells found in both humans and non-human animals. They have been called the centrepieces of regenerative medicine – medicine that involves growing new cells, tissues and organs to replace or repair those damaged by injury, disease or aging. Stem cells are the precursors of all cells in the human body. What makes stem cells special is that they are regenerative and malleable. They have the ability to replicate themselves and to repair and replace other tissues in the human body. Some tissues, like skin, need constant renewal, which could not take place without skin stem cells. Other stem cells repair damage to the body’s tissues, for example, rebuilding damaged or degenerating muscle tissue. New research also indicates that stem cell malfunction or damage may be responsible for certain cancers and even muscular-degeneration diseases like Muscular Dystrophy. Research on stem cell functioning is therefore a
critical avenue to finding treatments for these and other diseases.

Most cells in the human body are differentiated, tissue- specific cells. These cells have a specific identity and function that cannot be changed; they might be neural cells, skin cells, blood cells, muscle cells or some other kind of cell. Unlike other cells in the human body, stem cells are undifferentiated, which means they do not yet have a fixed identity and function. Consequently, they possess an ability to be manipulated in the laboratory in ways that may change their identity and function: they can turn into a number of different types of cells or tissues. This ability to change and be manipulated makes them powerful tools for research and therapy.