The Stem Cell Patch:
The hope for our future...
Stem cells have the potential to differentiate into many different functioning cells of the body. There are many different types of stem cells:
PLURIPOTENT
MULTIPOTENT
TOTIPOTENT
PLURIPOTENT STEM CELLS
A cell isolated from the embryo potentially has the ability to form any cell in the body. When the embryonic development is finished, the pluripotent stem cells are no longer unlimited as to how they can differentiate. They have a boundary as to how many types of cells that they are specialize.
When the sperm fertilizes the egg cell, they form a cell which is considered to be TOTIPOTENT. This means that the cell has the ability to create an entire organism. Following fertilization, the totipotent cell divides and creates many copies of itself. After four days, the totipotent cells will form a cluster of cells called the blastocyst. The blastocyst contains a group of cells called the inner cell mass and this is where the plutipotent stem cells are located, which will go on to make many of the cells and tissues of the body. These stem cells are different from the totipotent stem cells, in that they do not have the ability to form an organism, but they do have the job of forming cells that make up much of the body, such as nerve and heart cells. (Citation 19)
MULTIPOTENT STEM CELLS
Multipotent stem cells also have the ability to develop into other types of cells in the body, but unlike plutipotent and totipotent stem cells, they are far more limited into what they are able to develop into. They are derived from pluripotent stem cells and are found in the tissues of adult mammals. It is speculated upon that these stem cells are found in many organs in the body, replacing diseased or aged cells, which regenerate and replenish throughout the lifespan of the individual. (Citation 20)
STEM CELL PATCH: HELPING TO REGENERATE DAMAGED TISSUE
INDUCED PLURIPOTENT STEM CELLS: AN END TO CONTROVERSY IN STEM CELL RESEARCH
Induced pluripotent stem cells are normal cells taken from the patient and reprogrammed into pluripotent stem cells, for use by the patient's body. As this would end the controversy as to using embryonic stem cells for research, there are also risks in reprogramming normal cells, such as a skin cell to transform into a pluripotent stem cell, as the body may not have an immune response to it. Other factors could be that they pose a safety concern for patients, as the cells reprogram, it may cause mutations with the cell's DNA that could potentially cause cancerous growth. Other concerns are that once the stem cells are transplanted into the body, there may be an inability to retract them from the body. Another concern is that they may violently react. Studies have shown positive results using induced pluripotent stem cells and administering the cells to repair damaged or nonfunctioning cells for repair of the body. (Citation 21)
(Photo 34)
This video explains the ability of skin cells to be reset to the embryonic state by the introduction of genes in the original skin cell. The ability to reprogram these cells gives potential for any patient to create their own stem cells through these reprogramming factors.
-
Avoids use of nuclear transfer, which is cumbersome
-
Avoids controversy of stem cell research
The stem cell patch was tested utilizing a study in mice, for STEM CELLS Translational Medicine in Durham, North Carolina, which helped to regenerate heart tissue that had been damaged from a heart attack weeks before. The stem cell patch consists of the mouse's own adipose (fat) tissue, and stem cells on the interior. The patch was inserted into the mouse, and it regenerated the tissue that was not functioning.
The stem cell patch gives us hope that human beings can also replicate the same techniques and regenerate tissue more efficiently. (Citation 12)
In the picture above, the stem cells range from least to most specialized. Stem cells contain one or more cell lineage types of the germ layers of the cell, which are ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm.
(Photo 36) (Citation 35)
This picture shows the potential for embryonic cells, cultured differentiated cells, and reprogrammed induced pluripotent stem cells to develop into an embryo.
(Photo 35)