Pluripotent Stem Cells

July 13th, 2018 9:45 am

By: Ian Murnaghan BSc (hons), MSc - Updated: 13 Feb 2018| *Discuss

The concept of stem cells can seem a complicated one and you may have seen foreign words such as 'pluripotent' written in magazines or discussed on television. Stem cells describe all of the cells that can give rise to the different cells found in tissues. There are however, different types of stem cells. One such type is a pluripotent stem cell.

Approximately four days after fertilisation, the totipotent cells start to specialise and form a cluster of cells known as a blastocyst. The blastocyst has yet another smaller group of cells known as the inner cell mass and it is these inner pluripotent stem cells that will go on to create most of the cells and tissues in the human body. These pluripotent stem cells are therefore different than totipotent stem cells because they don't develop into a complete organism. As such, a pluripotent cell won't give rise to the placenta or other tissues that are vital for foetal development. It will still develop into the other specialised cell types in the human body, such as nerve or heart cells.

You may have also heard the term 'stem cell line.' Stem cells from embryos can be used to create these pluripotent stem cell 'lines,' which are grown in the laboratory or cultured from foetal tissue.

Pluripotent stem cells have a vast potential for the treatment of disease, namely because they give rise to the majority of cell types in the human body. These include muscle, blood, heart and nerve cells. Another potential use for pluripotent stem cells involves the generation of cells and tissues for use in transplantation.

Pluripotent stem cells can evolve into specialised cells that ultimately can replace diseased cells and tissues. Drug research is another area that pluripotent stem cells may benefit. Animals are a commonly used model to assess the safety and use of drugs. Instead of initially testing drugs on animals, they can be evaluated through testing on cells grown from pluripotent stem cells. Those drugs that appear tolerated and safe can then progress to testing on animals and finally, humans.

The positive uses of pluripotent stem cells are enormous but new research and ethical challenges must be taken into account before the public can reap the full benefits. For those who suffer from the many diseases that may be treated by pluripotent stem cells, additional knowledge and research will hopefully come sooner rather than later.

StemCell Therapy

Pluripotent Stem Cells

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