Using stem cells
What are Stem Cells?
Stems are unspecialised cells that occur normally in the body. This means they do not have the features of specific tissue cells such as liver, skin, or muscle.
Stem cells reproduce indefinitely and remain stem cells. Under certain conditions, they can become specialised cells and can help to repair certain tissue. They form part of the natural regenerative and repair process of the body.
Why embryonic stem cells are not used
Unspecialised embryonic stem cells have the ability to develop into any type of cell within the first five days of life. We cannot use these ‘pluripotent’ cells to regenerate issue in adults because they have a tendency to form tumours.
Adult stem cells are tissue specific and until recently, scientists believed that could only give rise to more of the same tissue in which they reside. These cells are multipotent cells.
Using your stem cells
In 2015, Australian scientists Vashe Chandrakanthan et al, revealed that they had solved the problem of reprogramming adult bone marrow and fat cells to form stem cells[i] that could potentially regenerate any damaged tissue in the body. These ‘kick started’ cells are known as induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells).
This discovery meant that medical science could now potentially use iPS cells to repair any part of the injured body, giving rise to the rapid growth in clinics offering stem cell therapies using these cells. [Find out more]
