THERAPEUTIC USES OF STEM CELLS

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yj7ejgEHdPc

Therapeutic uses of stem cells:

The activity explains what stem cells are and how they're produced, and provides details on their existing or potential therapeutic role in diseases related to the pancreas, liver, lungs, and bone marrow.

cells and tissues help on: 

Replacement: Certain diseases such as Parkinson's or Type I diabetes are caused by progressive degeneration of one or a few cell types. 

Repair: By isolating stem cells in a laboratory, scientists theoretically could grow new heart cells to repair damage from heart attacks, new liver cells to treat hepatitis, and cells for cancer patients after ablative radiotherapy.

Regeneration and rejuvenation: interacting with orf¡ganisms that are not implatates regenerate the surrounding tissues. They might thus be used to renew biological functions, such as the immune system, or act trophically to support and rejuvenate host cells. This has been demonstrated in mouse models of stroke and Parkinson's disease.

Adult stem cells can divide or self-renew indefinitely, enabling them to generate a range of cell types from the originating organ or even regenerate the entire original organ. It is generally thought that adult stem cells are limited in their ability to differentiate based on their tissue of origin, but there is some evidence to suggest that they can differentiate to become other cell types.

Stem cell therapy rests on the fundamental principle that cell phenotype is a conbination of two elements: the starting cell population and the environment in which the cells are placed. It is this combination that must be characterised to derive effective cell therapy.