Stem Cell: Basics, Classification and Applications

Stem cells are unspecialized cells that develop into the specialized cells that make up the different types of tissue in the human body.They are characterized by the ability to renew themselves through mitotic cell division and differentiating into a diverse range of specialized cell types. They are vital to the development, growth, maintenance, and repair of our brains, bones, muscles, nerves, blood, skin, and other organs .Stem cells are found in all of us, from the early stages of human development to the end of life. Stem cell research holds tremendous promise for the development of novel therapies for many serious diseases and injuries. While stem cellbased treatments have been established as a clinical standard of care for some conditions, such as hematopoietic stem cell transplants for leukemia and epithelial stem cell-based treatments for burns and corneal disorders, the scope of potential stem cell-based therapies has expanded in recent years due to advances in stem cell research. It has been only recently that scientists have understood stem cells well enough to consider the possibilities of growing them outside the body for long periods of time. With that advance, rigorous experiments can be conducted, and the possibility of manipulating these cells in such a way that specific tissues can be grown is real.

Author(s): K. Kalra and P.C. Tomar

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