It can sometimes be difficult to decipher all the news that the medical community comes out with. A lot of it seems exciting, even though there are those who consider some the latest technology controversial, for moral and religious reasons. What stem cell research facilities do, and why it's so valuable, is easier to understand when it you break it down.
Understanding what stem cells are is the first step. In the simplest terms, these cells are the tree trunks that sprout branches that have special functions. Researchers have learned how to divide the trunks into two different branches. These are daughter cells that can grow into other trunks, self-renewing, or create entirely new branches, with differentiation, that have specialized functions. These might be bone, blood, heart muscle, or brain cells. These trunks, or stems, are the only cells in the human body that are capable of naturally generating new kinds of cells.
When researchers watch these cells grow, they start to learn the ways in which diseases develop. Regenerative medicine is the art of regenerating and replacing human cells to the place where normal function is restored. Stems have the ability to create special cells that regenerate or repair damaged or diseased tissue located anywhere in the human body.
There are a whole host of diseases, currently without a cure, that could potentially be eradicated. They include Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's, strokes, spinal cord injuries, heart disease, cancer, and type 1 diabetes just to name a few. Stems can potentially be grown into new tissue that can be used in transplants. Researchers are working on all kinds of new applications that could be used in regenerative and transplant medicine.
Researchers can test news drugs with the use of stems. Rather than experimenting on human beings, researchers study these cells in order to learn whether they are safe for use in humans and how well the drugs work. Cardiac toxicity is an area that is showing great promise.
Researchers are studying how stems can be effective, after they have been programmed to turn into tissue specific cells, when it comes to new drugs. To create the utmost accuracy, the researchers have to program the cells to mirror the sorts of cells a new drug is meant to target. Tests of specific cells, for instance, might show what effect, if any, a new drug has on these cells and whether the drug changes the cells in some way.
Researchers get the stems from several different sources, some of which are controversial. Embryonic cells are harvested from embryos that are less than a week old. These cells have the ability to divide into more stems or into any other type of cell found in the human body, making them versatile. These are the cells that have raised the ethical issues that bother so many people.
Embryonic cells can be mimicked with the use of adult stems. Genetic reprogramming has been used in order to alter genes in adult cells. This new technique may prevent resistance from the new cells when it comes to immunity. Whether it adversely affects the human body is still under investigation.
Understanding what stem cells are is the first step. In the simplest terms, these cells are the tree trunks that sprout branches that have special functions. Researchers have learned how to divide the trunks into two different branches. These are daughter cells that can grow into other trunks, self-renewing, or create entirely new branches, with differentiation, that have specialized functions. These might be bone, blood, heart muscle, or brain cells. These trunks, or stems, are the only cells in the human body that are capable of naturally generating new kinds of cells.
When researchers watch these cells grow, they start to learn the ways in which diseases develop. Regenerative medicine is the art of regenerating and replacing human cells to the place where normal function is restored. Stems have the ability to create special cells that regenerate or repair damaged or diseased tissue located anywhere in the human body.
There are a whole host of diseases, currently without a cure, that could potentially be eradicated. They include Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's, strokes, spinal cord injuries, heart disease, cancer, and type 1 diabetes just to name a few. Stems can potentially be grown into new tissue that can be used in transplants. Researchers are working on all kinds of new applications that could be used in regenerative and transplant medicine.
Researchers can test news drugs with the use of stems. Rather than experimenting on human beings, researchers study these cells in order to learn whether they are safe for use in humans and how well the drugs work. Cardiac toxicity is an area that is showing great promise.
Researchers are studying how stems can be effective, after they have been programmed to turn into tissue specific cells, when it comes to new drugs. To create the utmost accuracy, the researchers have to program the cells to mirror the sorts of cells a new drug is meant to target. Tests of specific cells, for instance, might show what effect, if any, a new drug has on these cells and whether the drug changes the cells in some way.
Researchers get the stems from several different sources, some of which are controversial. Embryonic cells are harvested from embryos that are less than a week old. These cells have the ability to divide into more stems or into any other type of cell found in the human body, making them versatile. These are the cells that have raised the ethical issues that bother so many people.
Embryonic cells can be mimicked with the use of adult stems. Genetic reprogramming has been used in order to alter genes in adult cells. This new technique may prevent resistance from the new cells when it comes to immunity. Whether it adversely affects the human body is still under investigation.
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