Use LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys to navigate between flashcards;
Use UP and DOWN arrow keys to flip the card;
H to show hint;
A reads text to speech;
8 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
|
What is the definition of stem cell? |
Unspecialised cells able to express to all of its genes and divide by mitosis |
|
|
Name 4 characteristics of stem cells |
1) They are undifferentiated cells capable of becoming any type of cell in the organism 2) They are described pluripotent 3) The able to express all of their genes 4) They can divide by mitosis and provide more cells that can then differentiate into specialised cells for growth and tissue repair |
|
|
Name four sources of stem cells |
1) Embryos - when the zygote begins to divide 2) Umbilical cord blood 3) Adult stem cells - eg. Blood, brain, muscle,bone tissue and skin 4) Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS) |
|
|
What is induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS)? |
This is developed in Laboratories by reprogramming differentiated cells to switch on certain key genes and become undifferentiated |
|
|
What is the use of bone marrow transplant? |
1) Used to treat diseases of the blood and immune system 2) Also used to restore the patient blood system after treatment for specific types of cancer where the patients bone marrow cells are obtained before treatment |
|
|
What is the use of drug research? |
If stem cells can be made to develop into particular types of human tissue then new drugs can be tested first on these tissues rather than on animal tissue |
|
|
What is the big problem of stem cells? |
1) Stem cells are difficult to culture in laboratories 2) Also being hard to find out which cell signalling molecules trigger the stem cell to differentiate into a particular cell type |
|
|
Name four potential uses of stem cells |
1) Used to treat type 1 diabetes by programming iPS cells to become pancreatic beta cells 2) Used to treat liver disease from bone marrow stem cells by turning them into liver cells 3) Used to treat Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Disease or spinal cord injuries by directing stem cells to become nerve tissue. 4) Can be used to populate a bio scaffold of an organ and then directed to develop and grow into a specific organ for translating |
