Stem Cells and their Potential Uses.

Question 1

Define stem cell.

Answer 1

Unspecialised cell able to express all of its genes and divide by mitosis.

Question 2

What are stem cells?

Answer 2

Undifferentiated cells, capable of becoming any type of cells in the organism.

Question 3

Define pluripotent.

Answer 3

Able to make many cells.

Question 4

What are stem cells used for?

Answer 4

For growth and repair

Question 5

What are the four types of stem cells?

Answer 5

Embryonic stem cells
Stem cells in the umbilical cord blood
Adult stem cells
Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells)

Question 6

Where are embryonic cells found?

Answer 6

Present in an early embryo formed when the zygote begins to divide.

Question 7

Where are adult stem cells found?

Answer 7

In developed tissues such as blood, brain, muscle, bone, adipose (fat storage) tissues and skin.

Question 8

What do adult cells do among differentiated cells?

Answer 8

They act as a repair system because they are renewing a source of undifferentiated cells.

Question 9

Where are iPS cells from?

Answer 9

They are developed in laboratories.

Question 10

How are iPS cells made?

Answer 10

By reprogramming differentiated cells to switch on certain key genes and become undifferentiated.

Question 11

Stem cells from bone marrow (bone marrow transplants) are already extensively used to treat what?

Answer 11

Diseases of the blood such as sickle-cell anaemia and leukaemia.
Immune diseases for example severe combine immunodeficiency or SCID.

Question 12

How is bone marrow stem cell used to restore patients blood after cancer treatment?

Answer 12

The patients bone-marrow cells can be obtained before treatment, stored and then put back inside the patient after treatment.

Question 13

How can stem cells be used in drug testing?

Answer 13

If human tissue is able to be made through stem cells, then new drugs can be tested first on these rather than animal tissue.

Question 14

What can scientists observe by creating specific cell types?

Answer 14

They can learn how those cells function and see what goes wrong when they are diseased.

Question 15

How have mice been treated for type 1 diabetes?

Answer 15

By programming iPS cells to become pancreatic beta cells.

Question 16

Bone-marrow stem cells could be used to treat what?

Answer 16

Liver disease by developing them into hepatocytes.

Question 17

What could stem cells who have been directed towards nerve tissue treat?

Answer 17

Alzheimer and Parkinson disease or to repair spinal cord injuries.

Question 18

What is regenerative medicine?

Answer 18

When stem cells are used to populate a bioscaffold pf an organ, and then directed to develop and grow into specific organs for transplanting.

Question 19

What is the benefit of regenerative medicine?

Answer 19

Immunosuppressant drugs would not be needed.

Question 20

List conditions that stem cells may be able to treat in the future. (6)

Answer 20

Arthritis
Strokes
Burns
Vision and hearing loss
Duchenne muscular dystrophy
Heart disease