Stem cells make up a small percentage of the cells within the adult body, yet these cells are crucial to the maintenance of humans and many other organisms. Above depicts a stem cell and the diverse array of cells that it can produce from neurones, B-lymphocytes and red blood cells. These cells play roles in development and repair, but also have a potential uses in both modelling disease but also therapeutic treatments for example their use in treating leukemias. However, there are a lot technical terms involved and whether you're an avid science enthusiast or a newbie to the world of stem cells here is an informational guide to this very important cell.
After this brief whistle stop tour of a stem cell feel free to explore and read other interesting posts on the uses and intriguing roles these stem cells have.
References:
- The images were used with permission of Motifolio
- Alison, M.R., Poulsom, R., Forbes, S. and Wright, N.A., 2002. An introduction to stem cells. The Journal of Pathology: A Journal of the Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland, 197(4), pp.419-423.
- Karantalis, V. and Hare, J.M., 2015. Use of mesenchymal stem cells for therapy of cardiac disease. Circulation research, 116(8), pp. 1413-1430
- Rippon, H.J. and Bishop, A.E., 2004. Embryonic stem cells. Cell proliferation, 37(1), pp.23-34.
- Yamanaka, S., 2009. A fresh look at iPS cells. Cell, 137(1), pp.13-17.
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