Stem Cells Flashcards
What are stem cells
Undifferentiated cells that can develop into many different types of cells
Where can stem cells be found
Early human embryos or adult bone marrow
What can early human embryos develop into
Any type of cell
What can adult bone marrow develop into
Blood cells
What can embryos and bone marrow produce in a lab
Clones
What are adult stem cells used for in medicine
To cure diseases (e.g. blood diseases)
What are embryonic stem cells used for in medicine
To replace faulty cells in sick people
Why is therapeutic cloning used on embryonic cells
For the embryo to have the same genetic information as the patient
Why is it good for the embryo to match the patient’s genetic information
It won’t be rejected by the patient’s body if used to replace faulty cells
What are the risks of stem cells grown in a lab
May become contaminated with a virus which could be passed on to the patient and will make them sicker
Why would people be against stem cell research
Human embryos shouldn’t be used for experiments since each one is a potential human life.
Why are some people for stem cell research
Embryos used in the research are usually unwanted ones from fertility clinic which, if they weren’t used for research, would probably be destroyed.
Where are stem cells found in plants
The meristems
What are stem cells in plants used for
To produce clones of any whole plant quickly and cheaply
Why is producing clones of stem cells in plants useful
- To grow crops of identical plants that have desired features for farmers
- To grow more plants for rare species
