What are stem cells?

Generally speaking, the term "stem cells" refers to rudimentary cells which give rise to many different types of cells in the body, such as organ, skin, neural, or blood cells. Essentially, a stem cell can become another type of cell and is capable of replicating to produce these differentiated cells as well as more stem cells. They are the means by which cells in the body can be replenished. A unique and important feature of stem cells is their ability to replicate many, many more times than a cell of any one type.

There are two main types of stem cells: adult (also called somatic) stem cells and embryonic stem cells.Embryonic stem cells are inherently more flexible than adult stem cells because they can easily become any other kind of cell, whereas adult stem cells typically form different types of cells within a range, though recent research suggests that with coaxing an adult stem cell can also demonstrate great flexibility, or plasticity.

What does stem cell research hope to accomplish?

Many scientists are hopeful that stem cell research, along with general research about the root causes of diseases, will yield therapies for diseases.

One potential benefit that has been highlighted in the national media is stem cell therapy for spinal cord injuries. Since adult brain and other neural tissues don't reproduce, spinal cord injuries can lead to permanent paralysis. If scientists were able to guide stem cells into becoming nerve cells, these cells could be implanted to help regenerate spinal cord tissue, reversing the damage.

The phenomena might also help treat Parkinson"s disease, multiple sclerosis, diabetes, heart disease, Alzheimer"s disease, and even cancers.