Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine

Question 1

What are stem cells?

Answer 1

• Can differentiate into many different cell types
• Capable of self-renewal via cell division
• Provide new cells as an organism grows and can replace cells that are damaged or lost
• Several different types of stem cells:
embryonic, adult and induced pluripotent stem cells
• Targeted by researchers for their therapeutic potential

Question 2

Stem cells and disease/injury

Answer 2

diagram

blindness, myocardial infection, cancers, spinal cord injury, wound healing

Question 3

Stem cell sources

Answer 3

iPSC: induced pluripotent cells - Model for basic and translational studies

ESCs: embryonic stem cells - Disease modelling

ESCs: adult stem cells - Drug screening

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Cell replacement therapy, Cell differentiation, 3D organoid models, Developmental biology

Question 4

Comparison of stem cells diagram

Answer 4

diagram

Question 5

Comparison of stem cell types explained pt1.

Answer 5

Tissue-specific stem cells are maintained in special supportive microenvironments called stem cell niches.

• Supporting ECM 
• neighbouring niche cells 
• secreted soluble signalling factors (e.g. 
growth factors and cytokines) 
• physical parameters; shear stress, tissue 
stiffness, and topography),
• environmental signals (metabolites, 
hypoxia, inflammation, etc.).

Question 6

Comparison of stem cell types explained pt2.

Answer 6

table

Question 7

Generating iPSC cells

Answer 7

• c-Myc promotes DNA replication and relaxes chromatin structure,
• allows Oct3/4 to access its target genes.
• Sox2 and Klf4 also co-operate with Oct3/4 to activate target genes
• these encode transcription factors which establish the pluripotent
transcription factor network
• result in the activation of the epigenetic processes (more open
chromatin) that establish the pluripotent epigenome. The
• iPS cells have a similar global gene expression profile to that of ES cells.

Question 8

Stem cell tracking

Answer 8

In vivo imaging can aid the development and clinical translation of cell-based therapeutics using non-invasive in vivo long-term cell tracking in the preclinical and clinical settings

Question 9

Conclusion

Answer 9

• Stem cells are essential for replacing lost/damaged tissue due to their ability to self-renew via cell division and the ability to differentiate into many different cell types
• There are three main stem cell sources: adult (tissue specific stem cells),
embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells
• Scientists and doctors can harness the power of stem cells and genetic
engineering to provide therapies to replace lost/damaged tissue