Stem Cells part 7

Scientists at Newcastle University in England create the first ever artificial liver cells using umbilical cord blood stem cells in October 2006. It is suggested that these stem cells have the ability to differentiate into more cell types than adult stem cells, opening up greater possibilities for cell-based therapies. Then, in early 2007, researchers led by Dr. Anthony Atala claimed that a new type of stem cells had been isolated in amniotic fluid. This finding is particularly important because these stem cells could prove to be a viable alternative to the controversial use of embryonic stem cells. Mario Capecchi, Martin Evans, and Oliver Smithies won the 2007 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine for their work on embryonic stem cells from mice using gene targeting strategies producing genetically engineered mice (known as knockout mice) for gene research.

Stem Cells part 6

James Thomson and coworkers derived the first human embryonic stem cell line at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1998. More recently, in 2005, scientists at Kingston University in England were purported to have found another category of stem cells. These were named cord blood embryonic-like stem cells, which originate in umbilical cord blood. Korean researcher Hwang Woo-Suk (2004-2005) claimed to have created several human embryonic stem cell lines from unfertilized human oocytes.

Stem Cells part 5

The history of stem cell research had a benign, embryonic beginning in the mid 1800's with the discovery that some cells could generate other cells. In the early 1900's the first real stem cell were discovered when it was found that some cells generate blood cells. The term "stem cell" was proposed for scientific use by the Russian histologist Alexander Maksimov in 1908. Bone marrow transplant between two siblings successfully treated SCID in1968. Haemopoietic stem cells were discovered in human cord in1978.

Stem Cells part 4

Stem cell research holds tremendous promise for the development of novel therapies for many serious diseases and injuries. While stem cell-based treatments have been established as a clinical standard of care for some conditions, such as hamatopoietic stem cell transplants for leukemia and epithelial stem sell-based treatments for burns  and corneal disorders, the scope of potential stem cell-based therapies has expanded in recent years due to advances in stem cell research. It is impossible to project when actual treatments or cures might emerge from such research, put the paths this research might take and potential applications have been much discussed. Stem cells can now be grown and transformed into specialized cells with characteristics consistent with cells of various tissues such as muscles or nerves through cell culture. Highly plastic adult  stem cells from a variety of sources, including umbilical cord blood and bone marrow, are routinely used in medical therapies.

Stem Cells part 3

For decades, researchers have been  studying the biology of stem cells to figure out how development works and to find new ways of treating health problems. The scientific researchers and medical doctors of today hope to make the legendary concept of regeneration into reality by developing therapies to restore  lost, damaged, or aging cells and tissues in the human body. This research has opened new horizons for stem cell research.

Stem Cells part 2

Stem cells are defined as cells that have clonogenic and self-renewing capabilities and differentiate into multiple cell lineages. Stem cells are found in all of us, from the early stages of human development to the end of life. Stem cells are basic cells of all multicellular organisms having the potency to differentiate into wide range  of adult cells. Self renewal and totipotency are characteristic of stem cell. Through totipotencyis shown by very early embryonic stem cells, the adult stem cells possess multipotency and differential plasticity which can be exploited for future generation of therapeutic options. All stem cells may prove useful for medical research, but each of different types has both promise and limitations.

Stem Cells part 1

Stem cells are unspecialized cells that develop into the specialized cells that make up the different types of tissue in the human body. They are characterized by the ability to renew themselves through mitotic cell division and differentiate into a diverse  range of  specialized cell types. They are vital to the development, growth, maintenance, and repair of our brains, muscles, bones, nerves, blood, skin, and other organs. Stem cell are found in all of us, from the early stages of human development to the end of life. Stem cell research holds tremendous promise for the development of novel therapies for many serious diseases and injuries. While stem cell-based treatments have been established  as a clinical standard of care for some conditions, such as hematopoietic stem cell transplants for leukemia and epithelial stem cell-based treatments for burns and corneal disorders, the scope of potential stem cell-based therapies has expanded in recent years due to advances in stem cell research. It has been only recently that scientists have understood  stem cells well enough to consider the possibilites  of growing them outside the body for long periods of time. With that advance, rigorous experiments can be conducted, and the possibility of manipulating these cells in such a way that specific tissues can be grown is real.