STEM CELLS

MEDICAL ENGLISH

Alejandro Távara
Omar Tarrillo
Bery Guevara
Annie Huancas
Maritza Gómez
Jazmine Cadenillas
What are Stem
Cells?
Stem cells are a class of
undifferentiated cells that are
able to differentiate into
specialized cell types.
Commonly, stem cells
come from two main
sources:
Embryos formed during the
blastocyst phase
(embryonic stem cells)
Adult tissue (adult
stem cells)
Adult stem cells
Adult or somatic
stem cells exist
throughout the
body after
embryonic
development.
Have been found in
tissues such as the
brain, bone marrow,
blood, blood vessels,
skeletal muscles, skin,
and the liver.
Can divide indefinitely,
enabling them to
generate a range of
cell types from the
originating organ or
even regenerate the
entire original organ.

They remain in a
quiescent state for
years until activated
by disease or tissue
injury.
Embryonic stem cells

Are derived from a four- or five-day-

old human embryo that is in the
blastocyst phase of development.

inner cell mass source of embryonic stem

(embryoblast) cells - totipotent cells
Blastocyst
outer cell mass becomes part of the
(trophoblast) placenta
 When extracting embryonic
stem cells, the blastocyst
stage signals when to isolate
stem cells by placing the
"inner cell mass" of the
blastocyst into a culture dish.

Lacking the necessary

stimulation to differentiate, they
begin to divide and replicate
while maintaining their ability to
become any cell type in the
human body.
Potency Embryonic stem cells are the most
potent since they must become
every type of cell in the body.

the ability to differentiate into

all possible cell types.
Totipotent Example is the zygote formed
at egg fertilization.

the ability to differentiate

Pluripotent into almost all cell types.
Examples include embryonic
stem cells
 the ability to differentiate into
a closely related family of cells.
Examples include
Multipotent hematopoietic (adult) stem
cells.

the ability to differentiate

into a few cells. Examples
Oligopotent include (adult) lymphoid or
myeloid stem cells.

the ability to only produce cells

of their own type, but have the
Unipotent property of self-renewal.
Examples include (adult) muscle
stem cells.
RESEARCH WITH STEM CELLS
Scientists and researchers are interested in
stem cells for several reasons…
Every cell in the body, for example, is derived from
STEM CELLS first few stem cells.

have the capacity to

THEREFORE…
serve any function
after they are This property makes
instructed to stem cells powerful
specialize.
enough to regenerate
damaged tissue.
ORGAN AND TISSUE REGENERATION
Stem cells could potentially be used to grow a
particular type of tissue or organ if directed to
differentiate in a certain way.
most important possible
application of stem cell
research
stem cells
Currently, organs must be
skin
donated and transplanted, but
the demand for organs far
exceeds supply.
New skin tissue that can be
grafted on to burn victims.
 CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE TREATMENT
Create blood vessels in They lasted for 280 days!
laboratory mice using human
These new blood vessels were
stem cells. as good as the adjacent
natural ones.

Could eventually help

treat human patients with
cardiovascular and
vascular diseases.

The scientists extracted They were then

vascular precursor cells implanted onto the
derived from human-induced surface of the brains
pluripotent stem cells. of the mice.
 BRAIN DISEASE TREATMENT
Replacement cells and

HOW?
tissues

used to treat
brain disease
Bringing back the
specialized brain
cells that keep
Parkinson Alzheimer
unneeded muscles
from moving.
 CELL DEFICIENCY THERAPY

Pancreatic cells

Healthy heart cells

To replace the insulin-producing

Patients with heart repopulating cells that have been lost or
disease the heart with
destroyed by the patient's own
healthy tissue
immune system.
 BLOOD DISEASE TREATMENTS
carry oxygen
to
fight disease
HOWEVER…
umbilical cord
LEUKEMIA This has led some
scientists to call for an
placenta umbilical cord blood
SICKLE CELL ANEMIA bank.