Stem Cells Give Hope for Spinal Cord Injuries
Could stem cells provide hope to spinal cord injuries?
The Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation states that:
Stem cells hold promise for the development of effective treatments for a host of diseases and disorders. They are the primitive cells that give rise to different kinds of tissues in the body and they are self-renewing in the body and in the laboratory so that large quantities can be produced for medical purposes. Researchers are working on understanding the basic biological mechanisms of stem cells and aim to use these cells to help repair the injured spinal cord.
Answer the following questions below, you may use other or additional sources to answer your questions (references cited are suggested).
1) What are stem cells?
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2) What are spinal cord injuries? Why could they be so devastating?
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3) How could stem cells affect the possible regeneration of a damaged spinal cord?
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What are stem cells?
Stem cells are undifferentiated biological cells. They can be referred to as unprogrammed cells. They divide themselves into specialized cells where they are able to produce more and more cells. They have the characteristic of self renewal and multiplication. Stem cells are usually found in multicellular organisms. In the mammals, there are two types of the stem cells. These are embryonic stem cells and adult stem cells. Embryonic stem cells are usually formed during the blastocyst phase of the development of the embryo while adult stem cells are present in the various tissues of the adult. Both types of stem cells have the characteristic of effectiveness. They have the capacity to transform into other types of cells which results in the replacement of the damaged cells. They are therefore very powerful cells that are essential for the regeneration of new cells (Kelly, 2009)
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