B1 Stem Cells (page 16) Flashcards
What is Embryonic Stem Cells?
They can turn into ANY type of cell.
What is Differentiation?
It is the process by which a cell changes to become specialised for its job (see page 14).
What is Undifferentiated cells?
they are called Stem Cells, they can divide to produce lots more undifferentiated cells.
What can differentiated cells turn into?
They can differentiate into different types of cell, depending on what instructions they’re given.
Where are Stem Cells found?
they are found in early human embryos.
(They’re exciting to doctors and medical researchers because they have the potential to turn into any kind of cell. This makes sense if you think about it all the different types of cell found in a human being have to come from those few cells in the early embryo).
Can Adults have Stem cells? - explain your answer
Yes, but they’re only found in certain places, like bone marrow. Unlike embryos stem cells, they can’t turn into any cell type at all, only certain ones, such as blood cells.
Stem Cells from embryos and bone marrow can be grown in a lab to produce what?
clones (genetically identical cells) and made to differentiate into specialised cells to use in medicine or research.
What can adult stem cells be used to replace?
Stem cells transferred from the bone marrow of a healthy person can replace faulty blood cells in the patient who receives them.
Embroyonic Stem Cells could also be used to replace faulty cells in sick people, give example?
You could make insulin-producing cells for people with diabetes
Nerve cells for people paralysed by spinal induries, and so on……
Theraputic Cloning, explain what this is?
in a type of cloning, an embryo could be made to have the same genetic information as the patient. This means that the stem cells produced from it would also contain the same genes and so wouldn’t be rejected by the patients body if used to replace faulty cells.
What are the risks involved in using stem cells in medicine?
Stem Cells grown in the lab may become contaminated with a virus which could be passed on to the patient and so make them sicker.
Why are some people against Stem Cell Research?
they feel that human embroys shouldnt be used for experiments since each one is a potential human life.
Some people agree with Stem Cell Research, explain why?
They think curing existing patients who are suffering is more important than the rights of embryos.
They argue that the embroys used in the research are usually unwanted ones from fertility clinics which if they weren’t used for research, would probably just be destroyed.
Why do campaigners fight for the rights of embroys?
they feel scientists should concentrate more on finding and developing other sources of stem cells, so people could be helped without having to use embryos.
In some countries stem cell research is banned. Is it allowed in the uk?
it’s allowed in the UK as long as it follows strict guidelines.
