Stem Cell Basics
- cultured cell lines from the inner cell mass of the very early embryo ( 5 day old blastocyst) that are Totipotent ( capable of forming any cell type )
- Tissue replacement Eg: Skin cells for burn victims
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Brief HistoryThe first human stem cells were identified in the 1960s and these cells were in the bone marrow. One type of stem cell in the bone marrow can differentiate into (or give rise to) red blood cells, white blood cells. white blood cells and platelets. Since then, stem cells have been been found in other human tissues, such as fat tissue, in skin and in the circulating bloodstream, but in very low numbers. In 1998, a new discovery was made by scientists that allowed scientists to isolate stem cells from embryonic tissue. Stem cells also exist in other mammalian species and have been widely studied in mice.
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