Embryonic Stem Cells

In the days after conception, the fertilized egg begins to form a mass of cells called a blastocyst. It is from this mass of cells that all of the human body originates from. The nuclei of all of the cells in the blastocyst contain genes that turn some cells into bone cells and others into skin cells. The cells found in the inner mass of the blastocyst are called embryonic stem cells and have the potential to differentiate into almost all other cells in the body; the pluripotency of these cells makes them very viable in the research of disease and treatment (“Stem Cell”). Researchers can use these stem cells in order to test potential treatments of disease for efficacy and potency; therefore, stem cells can potentially be used to effectively …show more content…
The main factors that differentiate stem cells from other types of cells in the body are their ability to renew themselves infinitely while also giving rise to other, more developed cell types. Some types of stem cells, such as embryonic or induced pluripotent stem cells, can differentiate into virtually all other cell types whereas others, called adult stem cells, can only differentiate into cell types within the tissue where they reside (“Stem Cell”). Different types of stem cells perform different functions in the body and therefore can be used for treating different diseases or disorders based on what is necessary for treatment. For example, hematopoietic stem cells are used in a bone marrow transplant as opposed to embryonic stem cells because hematopoietic stem cells exist in the bone marrow naturally. This type of stem cell can be transplanted into an unhealthy patient to allow for the patient to create healthier red blood cells. Adult stem cells are naturally found and obtained in “developed tissue” and give rise to “specialized cells needed by the body for tissue regeneration after the organism develops beyond the embryonic stage, and generally produce cell types found in the tissue in which they reside” (“Stem Cell”). Adult stem cells are generally needed by the body to regenerate old and used tissue. The body constantly needs these stem cells since cells in some tissues cannot regenerate quickly enough to stay healthy. However, since these adult stem cells can only produce cells found in their specific niche, they can only be used for some specific diseases such as Sickle Cell Disease. Another way to use adult cells to perform stem cell therapies is to transform them into induced pluripotent stem cells. Induced pluripotent stem cells are developed and specialized cells, such as skin cells, that have been