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Applications of Stem Cells

Stems cells – whether cord blood, adult or embryonic – have numerous applications in the areas of scientific research and cell therapy. For researchers, stem cells are the key to understanding how humans develop the way they do. Hopefully, the study of stem cells will unravel the mystery of how an undifferentiated cell is able to differentiate, and will also determine what is the signal that triggers the sequence. The greater understanding, and possibly even control, of cell division and differentiation is a significant strategy in the battle against dreaded illnesses such as cancer, which is basically the continuous multiplication of abnormal cells.

The use of stem cells for the testing of new medicines is another highly-anticipated application. Although certain cells are already utilized for this purpose – cancer cells, for example, are used to tests anti-tumor drugs – testing on pluripotent cells would open up this field to a much broader number of cell types.

The third, and possibly most important, application is cell therapy, which is the use of stem cells to produce the cells and tissues required for the renewal or repair of body organs that have been damaged by debilitating and mortal diseases such as cancer, spinal cord injuries, glaucoma, Parkinson’s, etc.

Book Resources On Applications of Stem Cells

Stem Cell Research: New Frontiers in Science and Ethics by Nancy E. Snow
Stem Cells and the Future of Regenerative Medicine by Committee of Biological and Biomedical Application

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