Ever wondered as you stood in front of the mirror as to how you were created. You, like all other living things, started life as a single cell and then developed into this gorgeous piece of work that you are now beholding in the mirror. What is this miraculous cell that can give rise to the entire human being, with all its organs, uniqueness and intricacies?
The answer to this lies in the mother cell called ‘stem cell’ aptly named so since all other types of cells stem from this cell at the beginning of life in the plant or animal kingdom.
In this article, I am not going to tell you about the history or other aspects of these cells in development but mainly extol upon what is known about their properties.
Stem cells have the unique ability to divide into daughter cells and also differentiate (or develop) into specialized cells of the body.
There are 3 types of stem cells:
- Embryonic Stem Cells: These cells develop into any type of cell in the body including the specialized cells of the heart, brain, skin, liver, etc. This ability of the cells is called pluripotency. These are the cells that are present in the embryo and develop into a baby.
- Adult Stem Cells: These cells can develop into some types of specialized cells in the body but not into all types. For example, blood stem cells give rise to different types of blood cells but cannot become brain cells or skin cells. This property of the adult stem cells is called multipotency. They serve to repair or replenish the cells in the adult body as happens in the skin, hair, and other damaged cells.
- Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells: These cells are adult cells that are re-programmed into attaining a pluripotent state in the laboratory using genetic methods. Like embryonic stem cells, they can convert into any type of specialized cell of the body.
Why would one want to induce pluripotency in cells?
Well, the answer is that stem cell therapy is a very promising means to treat various incurable diseases. Someone with a heart problem could be in the near future be treated with stem cells that have been converted to heart cells and made to replenish the damaged heart tissue. So would be the case for spinal cord disorders or liver or bone disorders.
Given this potential to treat diseases as well as a thorough understanding of development which could be obtained by observing the nature of these pluripotent cells in the laboratory, scientists could very soon unravel the reasons behind malformations in the body and other anomalies during development.
Stem cell therapy is already practiced in few countries under strictly regulated conditions.
This mode of treatment by harnessing the power of stem cells can be misused and hence regulatory agencies keep a tight watch over research as well as treatment involving stem cells. One would not want to bump into a Frankenstein monster in the street – Right?
To explore more on stem cells click:
https://projects.sfchronicle.com/2018/stem-cells/about-stem-cells/
