Stem Cells Can Develop Into Different Types Of Cells
The human body is composed of many different types of cells, including stem cells. What makes stem cells unique is that they can develop into different types of cells. Their value comes from their ability to help repair the body. After dividing, they don't have to remain stem cells. They can become a different type of cell, for instance a muscle cell or a blood cell. The reason so many people are interested in stem cells is their ability to help heal the human body. Doctors and scientists are interested in learning more about how these versatile cells work. If this information can be applied correctly, then stem cells may offer doctors the ability to treat many diseases.
Stem cells do not have a specialized function. These cells can become cells with specialized functions, which makes them very useful in treating diseases. For instance, stem cells can become red blood cells or cells within the heart. The ability of stem cells to become cells with a specialized function makes their use in treating ailments practically unlimited. Three of the most researched types of stem cells are cord blood stem cells, adult stem cells, and embryonic stem cells. The cord blood stem cells come from the umbilical cord. The adult stem cells come from tissues found in the adult human body. Embryonic stem cells come from human embryos. Many differences exit between adult and embryonic stem cells. Adult stem cells aren't as versatile as embryonic stem cells. The controversy surrounding stem cells arises from the use of embryonic stem cells. Early stem cell research involved using embryos that were created for in vitro fertilization and then not utilized for this purpose. To harvest the stem cells, the embryos were destroyed. For this reason, the government has strict laws governing embryonic stem cell research. One of the properties of embryonic stem cells that interest scientists is that these cells are able to divide and replicate themselves for long periods of time. When these cells replicate, it is called a cell line. In addition to replicating many times, embryonic stem cells are valuable because they can become any cell in the human body. Research using adult stem cells has been around for a long time. In fact, this research has been going on for over 40 years. Adult stem cells maintain and repair tissue. They exist in many tissues and have already been useful in medicine. Adult stem cells from bone marrow have been used for many years. These cells are used in transplants and have been utilized for more than three decades. Scientists are hoping to find a way to grow adult stem cells. They then want to learn how to change these cells so they form specific types of cells. These specific types of cells could one day be used to treat many diseases. Included in the list of diseases scientists hope stem cell research will aid are heart disease, Parkinsonism, and diabetes. For that reason, scientists want to learn more about the properties of stem cells and how these cells can develop into cells with specialized functions. The more scientists and doctors learn about stem cells, the more uses they can find for these unique and amazing cells. |
