Characteristics of Stem Cells :: essays research papers

Stem prison cells have two important characteristics that diagnose them from other types of cells. First, they are unspecialized cells that re parvenu themselves for long periods through cell division. The second is that under certain physiologic or experimental conditions, they shag be induced to become cells with special functions such as the crush cells of the heart muscle or the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas.Scientists primarily work with two kinds of antecedent cells from animals and humans embryonic report cells and big(a) stem cells, which have opposite functions and characteristics that will be explained in this document. Scientists discovered ways to obtain or derive stem cells from early mo exercise embryos more than 20 historic period ago. Many years of detailed study of the biology of mouse stem cells led to the discovery, in 1998, of how to isolate stem cells from human embryos and grow the cells in the laboratory. These are called human embryonic stem cells. The embryos used in these studies were created for infertility purposes through in vitro fertilization procedures and when they were no longer needed for that purpose, they were donated for inquiry with the informed consent of the donor.Stem cells are important for living organisms for umteen reasons. In the 3- to 5-day-old embryo, called a blastocyst, stem cells in developing tissues give find to the multiple specialized cell types that make up the heart, lung, skin, and other tissues. In some adult tissues, such as bone marrow, muscle, and brain, discrete populations of adult stem cells generate replacements for cells that are lost through normal abide and tear, injury, or disease.It has been hypothesized by scientists that stem cells may, at some point in the future, become the basis for treating diseases such as Parkinsons disease, diabetes, and heart disease.Scientists wishing to study stem cells in the laboratory so they can project about their essential propert ies and what makes them different from specialized cell types. As scientists meet more about stem cells, it may become possible to use the cells not just in cell-based therapies, but also for screening new drugs and toxins and understanding birth defects.