Unit 1 Stem Cells—The Basics - The OCF.pptVIP

Stem Cells—The Basics High School Presentation Stem Cell Education Outreach Program, Student Society for Stem Cell Research (SSSCR) Background—Cells of the Human Body The human body is composed of many different types of cells e.g. muscle cells, skin cells, liver cells, cardiovascular cells, etc. Not all cells have the same potential Some cells remain “immature” (blank slates)—these are stem cells When stem cells “mature,” they turn into the different cells of the body Embryonic development In Vitro Fertilization-current method of deriving an hESC line Eggs and sperm donated and fused to create a fertilized egg in a petri dish Fertilized egg matures into a blastocyst Embryonic stem cells extracted from blastocyst Cells replated on another petri dish and grown in culture Embryonic development What is a blastocyst? Trophoblast—a hollow sphere of cells that implants in the uterus and develops into the extra-embryonic membranes such as the placenta, umbilical cord, and amnion. Inner cell mass (ICM)—embryonic stem cells are the ICM Special Characteristics of ALL Stem Cells Self-renewal (proliferation)- the ability of a stem cell to clone itself indefinitely by cell division. Asymmetric cell division Relocation and Differentiation are abilities of stem cells to “migrate” to where they’re needed in the body and specialize into a particular type of mature cell There are two different types of Stem Cells—Adult Embryonic Stem Cells Adult stem cells HELP YOU HEAL. They are cells found in post-natal tissue that can yield only the specialized cell types of the tissue from which they originated. hematopoietic stem cells – give rise to blood cells mesenchymal stem cells – give rise to cells of connective tissues and bones umbilical cord stem cells – a rich source of hematopoietic stem cells stem cells found in amniotic fluid – might be more flexible than adult stem cells Current Adult Stem Cell Therapies: Bone Marrow Transplant There are two different types of Stem Ce