B5 Page 4

Question 0

What can embryonic stem cells be used for when treating diseases?

Answer 0

Could be made to differentiate into specific cells to replace faulty ones such as heart muscle cells for people with heart disease.

Question 1

What can adult stem cells be used for when curing diseases?

Answer 1

Sickle-cell anaemia can be treated by bone marrow transplants. Bone marrow contains stem cells that can turn into new blood cells to replace faulty old one.

Question 2

What is a stem cell?

Answer 2

Unspecialised cells which can develop into different types of cells.

Question 3

What can cells in an early embryo turn into?

Answer 3

They are all the same cells which can turn into any type of cell. They’re called embryonic stem cells.

Question 4

What is the process of stem cells becoming specialised called?

Answer 4

The process is called differentiation.

Question 5

Where do adults only have stem cells in?

Answer 5

Bone marrow.

Question 6

Properties of adult stem cells?

Answer 6

• aren’t as versatile as embryonic stem cells.

- can only differentiate into certain types of cells.

Question 7

What determines the type of cell a stem cell specialises into?

Answer 7

The genes present within it.

Question 8

What can stem cells do during their development?

Answer 8

Switch any gene.

Question 9

Explain the status of genes in specialised cells.

Answer 9

Most of the genes are not active.

Question 10

Explain the process of cloning to make stem cells.

Answer 10

You take a egg cell,remove its nucleus. Remove the nucleus of a adult body cell and put the nucleus in the egg. Under right conditions an embryo forms and embryonic stem cells can be
Extracted .