Stem cells may help your health in the future in many ways and through many new treatments. Researchers think that stem cells will be used to help create new tissue. For example, one day, healthcare providers may be able to treat people with chronic heart disease. They can do this by growing healthy heart muscle cells in a lab and transplanting them into damaged hearts. Other treatments could target illnesses such as type 1 diabetes, spinal cord injuries, Alzheimer disease, and rheumatoid arthritis. New medicines could also be tested on cells made from pluripotent stem cells.
Embryonic stem cells: The embryonic stem cells used in research today come from unused embryos. These result from an in vitro fertilization procedure. They are donated to science. These embryonic stem cells are pluripotent. This means that they can turn into more than one type of cell.
Adult stem cells: There are 2 types of adult stem cells. One type comes from fully developed tissues such as the brain, skin, and bone marrow. There are only small numbers of stem cells in these tissues. They are more likely to generate only certain types of cells. For example, a stem cell that comes from the liver will only make more liver cells.
Stem cells may help your health in the future in many ways and through many new treatments. Researchers think that stem cells will be used to help create new tissue. For example, one day, healthcare providers may be able to treat people with chronic heart disease. They can do this by growing healthy heart muscle cells in a lab and transplanting them into damaged hearts. Other treatments could target illnesses such as type 1 diabetes, spinal cord injuries, Alzheimer disease, and rheumatoid arthritis. New medicines could also be tested on cells made from pluripotent stem cells.
Stem cells need much more study before their use can be expanded. Scientists must first learn more about how embryonic stem cells develop. This will help them understand how to control the type of cells created from them. Another challenge is that the embryonic stem cells available today are likely to be rejected by the body. And some people find it morally troubling to use stem cells that come from embryos.
Scientists also face challenges when using adult pluripotent stem cells. These cells are hard to grow in a lab, so researchers are looking into ways to improve the process. These cells are also found in small amounts in the body. There is a greater chance that they could contain DNA problems.
Clinical trials that use stem cell therapies are currently being done in the U.S. If you are interested in trying this therapy to treat a certain condition, ask your healthcare provider how to find out about trials available in your area.
These are adult stem cells that have been changed in a lab to be more like embryonic stem cells. Scientists first reported that human stem cells could be changed in this way in 2006. Induced pluripotent stem cells don't seem to be different from embryonic stem cells, but scientists have not yet found one that can develop every kind of cell and tissue.
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