Stem Cells: A Look at the Whole Picture

Abstract

Stem cells are cells in the human body that have the ability to transform into different, more specific, types of cells. A stem cell’s main function is to be able to mold and transform into whatever cell type is needed for an organism to function better as a whole. For instance, stem cells have the potential to repair blood cells, bone cells, muscle cells, tissue cells, and many other cell types. Another way to think about stem cells is if you think about the National Guard responding to natural disasters. The National Guard in this case would represent stem cells because they offer first aid, help build structures, and even provide travel, and the natural disaster would represent an injury or repair needed in the human body.

There are two unique abilities that make stem cells stand apart from other cell types. These abilities include self-renewal and differentiation. Self-renewal means that stem cells can actually make copies of themselves similar to a superhero that has the ability to constantly create sidekicks to help out. This ability helps produce the volume of specific cell types when and where they are needed. Differentiation is the term used to illustrate that stem cells can change into specific cell types, not unlike a shape-shifter that can adapt to whatever the body needs. The main ability that differentiation provides is the ability to fix a problem in the human body when one arises at a better and faster rate especially when some cells take much longer to take care of an issue.

Types of Stem Cells

There are three major types of stem cells to know of when looking at different fields of science research and practices. The three types are the embryonic stem cell, the adult stem cell, and the induced pluripotent stem cell. The main difference between the three types of stem cells are based on the cells varying origins and specific end functions. 

Embryonic stem cells originate from embryos and can turn into any cell type. An embryo is defined as the stage of development between the zygote or fertilized egg and the newly formed offspring by means of repeated mitotic division of the zygote and because of that embryonic stem cells are considered a substantial building block to achieve human life. 

Then there are what are known as adult stem cells, also known as somatic or tissue-specific cells, that develop later in the development of human life. Adult stem cells are found in the human body well after maximum growth has been achieved and are specialized for certain jobs. An example of a certain job that adult stem cells have the ability to take place in, is the repairing of specific tissues throughout the human body. Something to keep in mind about adult stem cells is that as people age their adult stem cell count decreases and the count can also be affected by hormone imbalances, a number of diseases, and overall cell health at any stage of development.

The final type of stem cell is known as induced pluripotent stem cells and iPSCs for short. The meaning of a pluripotent cell is a cell that is able to develop into many different types of cells or tissues in the body. Induced pluripotent stem cells start as regular cells and then turn into stem cells by scientists. The scientists who work with iPSCs are essentially creating a second chance at life for the cell by redefining the cell’s use in the human body, much like embryonic stem cells without the use of embryos. 

All three of the major types of stem cells have the innate ability to go through differentiation and self-renewal. The differences between embryonic stem cells, adult stem cells, and induced pluripotent stem cells are their specific limitations, their unique origins, and at what stage of human development they play the biggest role in.