STEM CELL TECHNOLOGY

Michael L. Villavert BSN 33rd Batch

Objectives
To know and describe what stem cells are. To know what stem cell technology is. To know the different types of stem cells. To know how stem cells originated and how it was discovered. To know the recent advances involving stem cells.

Stem Cell Technology

a rapidly developing field that combines the efforts of cell biologists, geneticists, and clinicians and offers hope of effective treatment for a variety of malignant and non-malignant diseases a field of medical research studying human and animal stem cells

What are stem cells???

Stem cells are cells without specific structure that may give rise to other kinds of cells. If allowed to reach their full potential, they could be used to treat and cure various diseases and conditions.

History
The origination of stem cell research must mention the studies of Dr. Ernest Armstrong McCulloch and Dr. James Edgar Till during the early 1960s (1). These Canadian physician scientists were studying mouse hematopoiesis (blood formation) and identified cells that when transplanted into irradiated mice would give rise to individual cellular colonies on the host spleen. Microscopically, these colonies underwent self-renewal and were differentiating into three different cell lines:
erythrocytes (red blood cells), granulocytes megakaryocytes.

History
These results supported the Unitarian Theory of Hematopoiesis, a hypothesis proposed by a Russian scientist, Alexander A. Maximov, over 50 years earlier, and were heralded as the discovery of stem cells.

Types of Stem Cells

Totipotent
"total power" stem cells that can differentiate into any cell types.

Types of Stem Cells

Pluripotent
stem cells that can form any cell type (e.g. embryonic stem cells) EXCEPT extraembryonic cells (i.e. those outside the embryo).

Types of Stem Cells

Multipotent
have the power to differentiate into cells in the same family of cells (e.g. hematopoietic stem cell).

Types of Stem Cells

Oligopotent
stem cells may only differentiate into a subset of cells in a particular family (e.g. lymphoid or myeloid stem cells).

Types of Stem Cells

Unipotent
cells perform selfrenewal and are committed to a single cell type (e.g. hepatocytes).

How exactly do Stem Cells Treat Diseases?

Stem cells could be used to treat diseases because of their ability to become different types of cells. The extent of stem cells' abilities to treat and cure diseases has not yet been fully discovered, and there is still much work to be done so that they may reach their full potential.

Stem Cell Advances

ALS (Lou Gehrigs Disease) Alzheimers Disease Blindness Blood Disorders Blood Supply Brain Tumors

Stem Cell Advances

Cancer Cartilage Damage Diabetes Hearing Loss Heart Disease & Damage Infertility Lung Damage

Stem Cell Advances

Multiple Sclerosis Muscular Dystrophy Organ Replacement Parkinsons Disease Platelet Transfusions Spinal Cord Injury Tissue Damage

Issues
Stem cell as cancer cells Tissue rejection Use of adult stem cells from other part of the body Human stem cells from embryos