Quiz 1- Tissue Engineering

Question 1

What are Stem cells?

Answer 1

Undifferentiated cells of a multicellular organism which are capable of giving rise to indefinitely more cells of the same type, and from which certain other kinds of cells arise by differentiation.

Question 2

Where can stem cells be found?

Answer 2

Before Birth: umbilical cord blood, amniotic fluid, early embryo, foetus, placenta

After Birth: Skin, hair, bone marrow, brain and spinal cord

Question 3

Why is Tissue engineering seen as a fantastic advancement?

Answer 3

It would mean that immune rejection would no longer be an issue. Donor organs can cause immune rejection (wrong MHC-1 fingerprint)

Question 4

Tissue Engineering builds on 4 foundations. What are they?

Answer 4

1. Stem Cells
2. Cloning
3. IVF
4. Genome sequencing

Question 5

What is bone Tissue Engineering?

Answer 5

It’s when bone is created using a scaffold that has been implanted.

A scaffold that closely mimics natural bone is used, osteogenic cells are then laid down, and signals are sent out to help direct the cells to the desirable type. Vascularisation is then needed to meet the growing tissue nutrient supply

Question 6

Skin Tissue Engineering. Who invented it and what is it?

Answer 6

Fiona Wood invented Spray on Skin.
Skin cells from healthy skin is cultivated from a biopsy from the patient and then grown in a lab.

A scaffold is then placed over the burn and the cultured cells are prepared as a liquid suspension and sprayed onto the scaffold.

Question 7

What 2 options do people with Kidney failure have?

Answer 7

1. donor organ

2. living in the hospital having dialysis.

Question 8

Liver Prosthetic. How far has it progressed?

Answer 8

Currently experimental. Liver is complex so will be long time before technology available to public.
Only option at the moment is liver transplant

Question 9

Why can’t we use adult stem cells?

Answer 9

They aren’t potent and there aren’t a lot of them

Question 10

What are the type of stem cells?

Answer 10

(Tiny penguins make orange umbrellas)

1. Totipotent
2. Pluripotent
3. Multipotent
4. Ogliopotent
5. Unipotent

Question 11

What are totipotent Stem Cells?

Answer 11

They are stem cells which can differentiate into any other cell.
e.g fertilised egg

Question 12

What are Pluripotent Stem Cells?

Answer 12

They are cells which can differentiate into almost any cell.

Inner Cell mass becomes Feotus
E.g. Blastocyst, Morula

Question 13

What are Multipotent stem cells?

Answer 13

Can differentiate into any cell within a closely related family of cells.
eg. foetus

Question 14

What are Ogliopotent Stem Cells?

Answer 14

They are stem cells which can only differentiate into a small number of cells.

Question 15

What are Unipotent Stem Cells?

Answer 15

They are Stem cells which cannot differentiate at all. They have the capacity of self renewal

Question 16

What is one really important point about stem cells?

Answer 16

Stem cells can regenerate.

Question 17

What is the new breakthrough with stem cells?

Answer 17

Adult stem cells can now be reprogrammed into young stem cells (Pluripotent stem cells)

Question 18

How does cloning work?

Answer 18

DNA is extracted from the patient and inserted into the empty nucleus of another egg.
Stem cells are then harvested from umbilical cord or tissue.

Question 19

Where are we up to with 3D printing organs?

Answer 19

We can 3D print the organs but we are not fast enough and so the organ dies. We need to be faster, and also allow vascularisation to occur while printing is still being performed.