Homework Question on Stem Cells
- Write about stem cells and give example about a Disease its associated with
- How it is used in treatment of diseases
Homework Answer on Stem Cells
Introduction
The research on stem cells is significantly increasing the knowledge of how organisms develop from single cells and how healthy cells replace the damaged cells in the adult organisms. This area of science has made scientists to investigate the possibilities of the cell-based therapies for treating diseases. Stem cells are the foundation cells for every organ and tissue in the human body. This paper will analyze stem cells in terms of their characteristics, importance, how they can be used to treat disease, and the challenges faced.
Stem cell aspects
Stem cells can be grouped in two different categories; totipotent and tissue specific stem cells (Alison, Richard, Forbes, & Wright, 2002). The stem cells are known to have two major characteristics; this differentiates them from the other cells. In the first characteristic, stem cells have the ability to renew themselves for long periods, through the process of cell division (Amit, et al., 2003). In the second characteristic, when stem cells are exposed to certain physiological or experimental environments, they can be changed to become cells with unique functions; for example, the heart cells or the insulin-producing cells.
Importance of stem cells
Stem cells are important for the living organism in many ways; for example, in a 3rd to 5th day old embryo commonly called a blastocysts, the stem cells that are in the developing tissues enable the development of specialized cell types which make up the heart, lung, skin, and the other tissues (Park, 2012). In some adult tissues, for example, in the bone marrow and the brain, the stem cells generate replacement for cells lost through diseases, an injury, or even a tear.