L4 Stem Cells Flashcards
What are the two main types of stem cells?
Embryonic and Adult stem cells.
What is the defining ability of totipotent stem cells?
They can generate all embryonic and extra-embryonic tissues.
What is the name of the first cloned mammal?
Dolly the Sheep.
What is somatic cell nuclear transplantation (SCNT)?
A process where the nucleus of an egg is replaced with the nucleus of a differentiated cell.
What is the primary objective of therapeutic cloning?
To produce patient-specific stem cells for replacing injured/diseased tissues.
Name a key challenge in the use of hESCs for therapy.
Risk of teratoma formation.
Why are human embryonic stem cells controversial?
They are derived from embryos, raising questions about the onset of life.
Who discovered iPSCs and when?
Shinya Yamanaka in 2007.
What is a major advantage of iPSCs over hESCs?
They avoid ethical concerns as they are derived from somatic cells.
