Discover stem cells

By the end of this lesson, you should…  Know what a stem cell is  Know about different types of stem cells and where they are  Know why stem cells are important

What we’re going to do today  Stem cell decision maker – in groups  Talk more about stem cells  Types of stem cells – in groups  Summary  Your feedback

What stem cells can do

Use the decision maker to find out What’s under the flap? Stem cell  take another blood stem cell Any other cell  put your blood stem cell in the cup with that cell type on it You can only play if you still have a stem cell token! What is a stem cell?

stem cell SELF-RENEWAL = copying specialized cell e.g. white or red blood cell DIFFERENTIATION (specializing) = making different types of cells + What is a stem cell?

1 stem cell Self renewal – makes sure stem cells don’t run out Why self-renew AND differentiate? 1 stem cell 4 specialized cells Differentiation - replaces dead or damaged cells throughout your life

Stem cells in your body = Tissue stem cells surface of the eye brain skinbreast muscles intestines (gut) bone marrow

Blood stem cells: A type of tissue stem cell blood stem cell found in bone marrow differentiation only specialized types of blood cell white blood cells red blood cells

Blood stem cells in action

The blood challenge How hard do your blood stem cells work? Let’s find out!

Blood stem cells have a big job! If you lined up all the red blood cells from your body, how far would they stretch? Nearly 4 times around the earth’s equator Image by BeeblebroxBeeblebrox

How long does it take your body to make 2 million red blood cells? How quickly can you count to 2 million? Making red blood cells

To make 2 million red blood cells it takes your body… Making red blood cells We counted to 20 in… To count to 2 million it would take… 2 days 5 days 6 days 7 days 3 days 1 second! 2 seconds 3 seconds 4 seconds 5 seconds 6 seconds

Your body is more than just blood!

Shuffle and deal the cards face down. The player to the left of the dealer starts. On your turn, choose a card you don’t want and give it to the person on your left. When you are given a new card: If you’ve got a family of 4, put it down on the table for everyone to see. Then choose a card to give to the person on your left. Keep going until the cards are used up. Stem cells in your body Keep it moving! You only have a short time to play. Can your group be the first to get all the families? Cell families

Where are the stem cells in your body? Stem cells in your body

embryonic stem cells Tissue stem cells blastocyst - a very early embryo around cells fetus, baby and all your life Types of stem cells

embryonic stem cells skin liver neurons ES cells can make many kinds of specialised cells in the lab! Embryonic stem cells

What we’ve learnt today  Stem cells can: Self-renew = copy themselves Differentiate = make other types of cell  There are different kinds of stem cell: Tissue stem cells – in our bodies all our lives – only make particular cell types Embryonic stem cells – in the early embryo – can make all the cells of the body  We need stem cells to… Replace cells that die or get damaged In the future, we might use them to treat diseases or test drugs