Adult stem cells are undifferentiated cells, found throughout the body after development, that multiply by cell division to replenish dying cells and regenerate damaged tissues. Also known as somatic stem cells (from Greek , meaning of the body), they can be found in juvenile as well as adult animals and human bodies. Scientific interest in adult stem cells is centered on their ability to divide or self-renew indefinitely, and generate all the cell types of the organ from which they originate, potentially regenerating the entire organ from a few cells. Unlike embryonic stem cells, the use of adult stem cells in research and therapy is not considered to be controversial, as they are derived from adult tissue samples rather than destroyed human embryos. They have mainly been studied in humans and model organisms such as mice and rats. A stem cell possesses two properties: To ensure the safety of others, stem cells undergo two types of cell division (see Stem cell division and differentiation diagram). Symmetric division gives us a rise to two identical daughter cells, both endowed with stem cell properties, whereas asymmetric such division produces only one of those stem cells and a progenitor cell with limited self-renewal … Continue reading →

Adult stem cellSee somatic stem cell. AstrocyteA type of supporting (glial) cell found in the nervous system. BlastocoelThe fluid-filled cavity inside the blastocyst, an early, preimplantation stage of the developing embryo. BlastocystApreimplantationembryo consisting of a sphere made up of an outer layer of cells (thetrophoblast), a fluid-filled cavity (theblastocoel), and a cluster of cells on the interior (theinner cell mass). Bone marrow stromal cellsA population of cells found in bone marrow that are different from blood cells. Bone marrow stromal stem cells (skeletal stem cells)A multipotent subset of bone marrow stromal cells able to form bone, cartilage, stromal cells that support blood formation, fat, and fibrous tissue. Cell-based therapiesTreatment in which stem cells are induced to differentiate into the specific cell type required to repair damaged or destroyed cells or tissues. Cell cultureGrowth of cells in vitro in an artificial medium for research or medical treatment. Cell divisionMethod by which a single cell divides to create two cells. There are two main types of cell division depending on what happens to the chromosomes: mitosis and meiosis. ChromosomeA structure consisting of DNA and regulatory proteins found in the nucleus of the cell. The DNA in the nucleus is usually divided up … Continue reading →