Stem cells in medicine Flashcards
What can bone marrow transplants be used for?
Replace faulty bone marrow in patients that produce abnormal blood cells
What do the stem cells inserted into the transplanted bone marrow do?
Divide and specialise to produce healthy blood cells
What has bone marrow transports been used to treat?
Leukaemia
Lymphoma
Genetic disorders such as sickle cell anaemia
In the future, how could stem cells be used to treat spinal cord injuries?
Used to replace damaged nerve tissue
In the future, how could stem cells be used to treat Heart disease and damage caused by heart attacks?
Used to replace damaged heart tissue
In the future, how could stem cells be used to treat bladder conditions?
Used to grow whole bladders which are then transported into patients to replace the diseased ones
In the future, how could stem cells be used to treat respiratory diseases?
Donated windpipes could be stripped down to their simple collagen structure and then covered in tissue generated by stem cells which can be transported into patients
In the future, how could stem cells be used for organ transplants?
Organs could be grown from stem cells to provide new organs for people on donor waiting lists
Where are adult stem cells obtained from?
Body tissues
Bone marrow
What are strengths of using adult stem cells?
Obtained in a relatively simple operation - very little risk involved
What are weaknesses of using adult stem cells?
Operation can cause a lot of discomfort
Arent as flexible as embryonic stem cells as they cant specialise into any type of cell
Where are embryonic stem cells obtained from?
They are obtained from embryos at early stages of development
Embryos are made artificially in a lab and then the stem cells are obtained, the embryo is then destroyed
What are strengths of using embryonic stem cells?
They can differentiate into any type of cell as they’re pluripotent
What are induced pluripotent stem cells?
They are created by scientists in a lab
What is the process of making iPS cells?
They ‘reprogramme’ specialised adult body cells so that they become pluripotent
In iPS cells, what are the adult cells made to express?
A series of transcription factors that are normally associated with pluripotent cells to express genes that are associated with pluripotency
How can transcription factors be introduced to the adult body cell?
Through infecting them with a specially-modified virus with the virus having the genes coding for the transcription factors in their DNA
What ethical considerations are then when obtaining stem cells?
- some believe its wrong to destroy an embryo after collecting stem cells
- some people think that scientists should only use adult stem cells because their production doesn’t destroy an embryo
- body might reject foreign tissues
What are the benefits of stem cell therapy?
- Save many lives
- Possible to make stem cells genetically identical to the parent’s own cell which would avoid rejection
- Improve the quality of life for many people
