Is Stem Cell Research The Future Of Medicine? By Olivia Daly

What Are Stem Cells? Stem cells are a type of cell that have no specific function but have the potential to develop into different cell types during early life and growth. Often serve as a sort of internal repair system in tissues by dividing to replenish other cells

The History Of Stem Cell Research 1868- Term “Stem Cell” first coined by German scientist Ernst Haeckel 1909- Russian Alexander Maximov announces his theory that there are stem cells in our blood that can turn into other cell types 1957- First human bone marrow transplant 1968- First successful bone marrow transplant on a child Now we have stem cell IVF and the possibility to cure multiple ailments

General Properties Of Stem Cells They can proliferate- replicate themselves many times over for long periods of time They are unspecialised They can differentiate- change into different cell types and perform the functions of those cell types

Pluripotency Pluripotency refers to whether or not a stem cell can change into many different cell types Pluripotent stem cells have the potential to give rise to all cell types in the body Not all stem cells are pluripotent. Adult stem cells, for example, are limited in the number of cell types they can become.

Embryonic Stem Cells Found in embryos Researchers take them from discarded embryos left over from IVF treatments- ethical debate Pluripotent- can give rise to all tissue types in the body e.g muscle, fat, cartilage etc.

Adult Stem Cells Found in the different tissues around the body e.g. The brain, the liver, the muscles, the bone marrow. Function is to repair the tissue if it gets damaged Not Pluripotent Can usually only give rise to the cell type found in their tissue of origin, sometimes a couple of other similar cell types

Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells Adult stem cells reprogrammed to take on the properties of embryonic stem cells so that they can become any cell type

Similarities & Differences Between Embryonic & Adult Stem Cells Embryonic Stem Cells are pluripotent, adult stem cells are not Embryonic stem cells are easier to grow in the lab- far more stem cells in an embryo than are found within tissues around the body and it is very hard to isolate the adult stem cells from a tissue Easier to treat disease with embryonic stem cells- need large amounts of stem cells for treatments and they can give rise to any tissue

Diseases That Could Be Treated Using Stem Cells Various types of cancer Type 1 diabetes Osteoarthritis & Rheumatoid arthritis Heart Disease And many more.....

Using Stem Cells To Treat Cancer Some cancer patients receive stem cell transplants with their chemotherapy Different types of transplants: - Stem cells donated by a close match e.g. sibling/ parent = Allogeneic transplant - Stem Cells taken from patient before they start chemo and transplanted back into their body afterwards= autologous transplant

Using Stem Cells To Treat Type 1 Diabetes Best way to treat type 2 diabetes is diet & exercise Type 1 is genetic and can’t be treated this way- insulin shots used Pancreatic transplants in severe cases- insulin is produced in the pancreas in the islets of Langerhans by pancreatic beta cells. If you have Type 1 Diabetes then your immune system attacks the cells that make insulin Stem cells can be injected into the pancreas to become new pancreatic beta cells- easier than a full transplant

Using Stem Cells to Treat Type 1 Diabetes

Stem Cells And IVF IVF involves an embryo being created in a lab instead of in a woman’s body- sometimes this can be ineffective One of the main reasons why women cannot have children is because they wait until they are older and their eggs are not as fertile as they once were Stem Cells discovered in the lining of the ovaries can give rise to new eggs Can also replenish old and infertile eggs so that they can be fertilised Give hope to infertile women

Stem Cells and IVF Zain Rajani was the first baby born through an IVF programme where ovarian stem cells were used– because this technology is so new scientists are not 100% sure how effective it is Born in Canada on May 7th, 2015

The Future of Stem Cells and IVF Scientists think that one day they may be able to create an embryo from stem cells alone As mentioned, ovarian stem cells have the potential to differentiate into new eggs. couples who are infertile could have their own biological child even though they lack the reproductive cells to produce one normally.

Other benefits of stem cells Cells derived from stem cells can be used to test new drugs instead of testing on animals New organs may be grown from stem cells so that scientists can recreate a working system and study the functions of the body in more detail

Jobs In The Area Of Stem Cell Research

Conclusion As stem cells can treat such an enormous variety of diseases from within the body, they have the potential to revolutionise the way we treat diseases and illnesses. This is why they are being hailed as the future of medicine

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JTw2RpDo9o

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