Stem cells in medicine

Question 1

What can bone marrow transplants be used for?

Answer 1

Replace faulty bone marrow in patients that produce abnormal blood cells

Question 2

What do the stem cells inserted into the transplanted bone marrow do?

Answer 2

Divide and specialise to produce healthy blood cells

Question 3

What has bone marrow transports been used to treat?

Answer 3

Leukaemia
Lymphoma
Genetic disorders such as sickle cell anaemia

Question 4

In the future, how could stem cells be used to treat spinal cord injuries?

Answer 4

Used to replace damaged nerve tissue

Question 5

In the future, how could stem cells be used to treat Heart disease and damage caused by heart attacks?

Answer 5

Used to replace damaged heart tissue

Question 6

In the future, how could stem cells be used to treat bladder conditions?

Answer 6

Used to grow whole bladders which are then transported into patients to replace the diseased ones

Question 7

In the future, how could stem cells be used to treat respiratory diseases?

Answer 7

Donated windpipes could be stripped down to their simple collagen structure and then covered in tissue generated by stem cells which can be transported into patients

Question 8

In the future, how could stem cells be used for organ transplants?

Answer 8

Organs could be grown from stem cells to provide new organs for people on donor waiting lists

Question 9

Where are adult stem cells obtained from?

Answer 9

Body tissues

Bone marrow

Question 10

What are strengths of using adult stem cells?

Answer 10

Obtained in a relatively simple operation - very little risk involved

Question 11

What are weaknesses of using adult stem cells?

Answer 11

Operation can cause a lot of discomfort

Arent as flexible as embryonic stem cells as they cant specialise into any type of cell

Question 12

Where are embryonic stem cells obtained from?

Answer 12

They are obtained from embryos at early stages of development
Embryos are made artificially in a lab and then the stem cells are obtained, the embryo is then destroyed

Question 13

What are strengths of using embryonic stem cells?

Answer 13

They can differentiate into any type of cell as they’re pluripotent

Question 14

What are induced pluripotent stem cells?

Answer 14

They are created by scientists in a lab

Question 15

What is the process of making iPS cells?

Answer 15

They ‘reprogramme’ specialised adult body cells so that they become pluripotent

Question 16

In iPS cells, what are the adult cells made to express?

Answer 16

A series of transcription factors that are normally associated with pluripotent cells to express genes that are associated with pluripotency

Question 17

How can transcription factors be introduced to the adult body cell?

Answer 17

Through infecting them with a specially-modified virus with the virus having the genes coding for the transcription factors in their DNA

Question 18

What ethical considerations are then when obtaining stem cells?

Answer 18

• some believe its wrong to destroy an embryo after collecting stem cells
• some people think that scientists should only use adult stem cells because their production doesn’t destroy an embryo
• body might reject foreign tissues

Question 19

What are the benefits of stem cell therapy?

Answer 19

• Save many lives
• Possible to make stem cells genetically identical to the parent’s own cell which would avoid rejection
• Improve the quality of life for many people