A Review Of Adult Stem Cells

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A Review Of Adult Stem Cells
Adult stem cells are designed by nature to perform tissue repair in a mature adult. It is believed that these cells can be used in patients unrelated to the donor, without rejection, eliminating the need for donor matching and recipient immune suppression. Once transplanted, the cells promote healing of damaged or diseased tissues.

Stem cells can come from blood, bone marrow, fat, and placentas. For reasons that aren't completely understood, doctors have seen that the injections dramatically decrease inflammation.

Stem cells are master or parent cells of the body -- cells from which all other cells with specialized functions are created. Stem cells are unspecialized cells that are generally defined by two functional properties: the ability to self-renew and the ability to differentiate into other more mature cells. In this respect, stem cells are considered unique compared to mature cells that lack either or both capabilities.

Stem cells have long carried the promise of replenishing or repairing damaged tissue. They're used, for example, to regenerate the immune systems of cancer patients who have received near-lethal doses of chemotherapy.