In past years, these nine little letters, stem cells, have caused much controversy and misunderstanding.
Stem cells are primitive, undifferentiated cells that are able to divide and become specialized cells of the body such as liver cells, muscle cells, blood cells and other cells with specific functions.
Because they have not yet committed to a developmental path that will form a specific tissue or organ, they are considered master cells with great potential. You may have wondered about what they are used for, and if they hold promise for helping you or a family member with serious disease or injury.
Stem cells are interesting and useful to doctors and scientists for several reasons:
Further work includes potential treatment for Type 1 diabetes, arthritis, stroke, Parkinsons disease, heart disease and Alzheimers disease.
There are also cosmetic applications, using the patients own cells for facial and body enhancement, such as the stem cell facelift, and topical skin applications.
The different types of stem cells include:
These come from embryos that are four to five days old, usually left over from fertility treatments and voluntarily donated.
These were thought to have the most potential for scientific use because they had minimal exposure to potential environmental toxins and great potential for use in tissue and organ regeneration. They are able to self-renew and are pluri-potent, meaning they become any type of cell in the future.
Embryonic cells are also the source of great controversy and debate, since many of us believe that life begins at conception and that manipulation of embryonic stem cells is unethical.
The rest is here:
Positively Beautiful: Ever wondered about stem cells?