Stem Cell Research

Introduction3

Identification and Application of Stem Cells4

Stem Cell Markers and Stem Cell Function4

Identification of Stem Cells in a Mixed population of Cells5

Application of Other Stem Cell Properties6

Potential Uses of Human Stem Cells7

Conclusion10

References11

Stem Cell Research

Introduction

Stem cells play a vital role during growth phases and early life, due to their ability for developing into various cell types in the body. They serve as an internal repair system in many tissues. As long as the human being or animal alive, they divide essentially without limiting the replenishing of other cells. When these cells divide, each cell has the ability or potential either to become another cell type with a more and different specialized function (like a blood cell, brain cell or a muscle cell) or remains a stem cell.

Stem cells are defined as the unspecialized cells that have the property of self-renewal, increased proliferation potential and have the ability to differentiate into the various types of cell in the body. The process of converting into different cell type is known as differentiation. Embryonic stem cells are isolated from the embryos from an early stage that have the ability of developing into all several cell types in an individual. In comparison, adult stem cells are extracted from specific tissues that have only the ability of differentiating into cell types in that specific tissue under normal conditions. Sometimes, the adult stem cells can be converted into cell types of other tissues. This phenomenon is termed as trans-differentiation, but this happens rarely (Dina et al., 2006).

In order to get advance knowledge on stem cells, for exploring the mechanism by which an organism develop from one cell and the mode of action by which the healthy cell replace damaged cells in an adult organism, extensive research is required. Stem cell research is becoming one of the most interesting areas for researchers, but due to spreading fields of scientific inquiry, research of this type raises various scientific questions.

Identification and Application of Stem Cells

Stem cell markers are the products of gene expression that are uniquely linked to stem cells. These are typically carbohydrates or proteins that are expressed specifically in stem cells. These markers are found to be comparatively specific in terminal differentiated cells and are expressed at lower extent or are not expressed at all (Shibata et al., 2006). Although a majority of the markers of stem cells are not exclusively expressed in stem cells. Few markers of stem cells are also expressed on several other differentiated cells in different tissues, and at cancer stem cells at a different level.

Around hundred stem cell markers have been observed at different developmental stages or in different tissues, but the main issue is that the functioning of most stem cells is still unknown. Stem cells markers play a vital role in the field of scientific research. The antibodies against the stem cell markers are the widely used tool for identification purpose of stem cells initially in the tissue. These antibodies are produced by inducing immunization in animals with proteins that are ...