Topic 8 - 6 - Stem Cells in Medicine Flashcards
How do bone marrow transplants work?
Bone marrow contains stem cells that can become specialised to form any type of blood cells, so transplants can be used to replace faulty bone marrow in patients that produce abnormal blood cells. The stem cells then divide and specialise to produce healthy blood cells
Which type of cancers and genetic disorders can be treated using bone marrow transplants?
- Leukaemia
- Lymphoma
- Sickle cell anaemia
- Severe Combined Immunodeficiency
Which conditions are scientists currently researching the use of stem cells to treat? Name 2
- Spinal chord injuries
- Heart disease and damage caused by heart attacks
- Bladder conditions
- Respiratory diseases
- Organ Transplants
What are the three main sources of stem cells?
1 - Adult stem cells
2 - Embryonic stem cells
3 - Induced pluripotent stem cells (IPS cells)
How are adult stem cells obtained?
They are obtained from the body tissues of an adult, e.g., in the bone marrow. The can be obtained in a simple operation where little risk is involved, but a lot of discomfort.
How do adult stem cells differ from embryonic stem cells?
They are not as flexible as they can only specialise into a limited range of cells - they’re multipotent
How are embryonic stem cells obtained?
They are obtained from embryos at the early stages of development. They are created in a lab using IVF. Once the embryos are around 4-5 days old stem cells are removed from them and the rest of the embryo is destroyed
How are embryos pluripotent?
They can divide an unlimited amount of times and develop into all types of body cells.
How are induced pluripotent stem cells created?
They are created by scientists in the lab. Adult stem cells are reprogrammed to become pluripotent. This is done by making adult cells express as series of transcription factors that are normally associated with pluripotent
How can transcription factors be introduced to adult stem cells?
They are infected with a specially modified virus which has the genes coding for transcription factors within the DNA. When the virus infects the adult cell, these genes are passes into the adult cheeks DNA, meaning the cell is able to produce the transcription factors.
What are the benefits of stem cell therapy?
- Saves lives
- May be possible to make stem cells genetically identical to a patient own cells which could then be used to grow some new tissue or an organ that the patients body wouldn’t reject
- They could improve quality of life for many people
