Stem cell therapy Flashcards
(21 cards)
What are stem cells ?
They are unspecialized cells.
What can stem cells do ?
They can divide indefinitely by mitotic cell division to form new stem cells.
What are the types of stem cells ?
Embryonic stem cells and Adult stem cells.
What is the origin of embryonic stem cell ?
Blastocyst, inner cell mass of a four to five days old embryo.
What are the sources of embryonic stem cells ?
left-over embryo prepared by in vitro fertilizatiion.
What is the origin of adult stem cells ?
unspecialized cells obtained from different types of adult tissues.
What are some examples of adult tissues that can obtain adult stem cells ?
(1) Bone marrow
(2) skeletal muscles
(3) blood
(4) brain
(5) pancreas
(6) skin
What is the source of adult stem cells ?
Umbilical cord blood.
What is the potential of embryonic stem cells ?
Pluripotent.
What is the function of embryonic stem cells ?
They have high differentiation capacities that they can differentiate into almost any cell types of the body.
What is the potential of adult stem cells ?
Multipotent.
What is the function of adult stem cells ?
They have low differentiation capacities that they can differentiate into a few types of cells, they are tissue specific to produce new cells to replace the dead or damaged cells in the tissue they are found.
Stem cells in bones marrow with differentiate into what substances ?
(1) Blood cells
(2) bone cartilage
(3) fat
Can embryonic stem cells grow in in vitro condition ?
Yes.
They can grow and divide in culture for more than one year without differentiating into specialized cells.
Can adult stem cells grow in in vitro condition ?
No.
Adult stem cells are difficult to be isolated and grow in culture, low number of stem cells is available.
Will the embryonic stem cells trigger the immune response ?
Yes.
Since they have surface antigens that may be regarded as foreign by the immune system.
Will the adult stem cells trigger immune response ?
No.
Since they are transplanted from the patients’ own cells are less likely to be rejected.
Which type of stem cells is more common used in human stem cell therapy ? Why ?
Adult stem cells.
(1) collection of adult stem cells from a patient does not cause harm to the patient.
(2) transplanted cells will not be rejected by the patients’ immune system.
(3) it raises less ethical concerns.
What is the concern of using embryonic stem cells ?
(1) embryo is killed.
(2) deprives a person’s right to survive by another person’s decision.
What are some possible applications of stem cells.
(1) research on cell development
(2) stem cell therapy
(3) drug testing
What are some limitations of stem cell therapy ?
(1) technical problems
(2) effect on the health of patients
(3) ethical concerns
