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Current questions concerning Stem cells
What are stem cells?
Stem cells are special body cells whose function for the organism is not yet determined. Therefore they have the ability to principally grow into all kinds of cell types, e.g. into blood-, heart-, kidney- or liver cells, they are “pluripotent". Stem cells therefore play an important role in regenerative medicine.
What kinds of stem cells do exist?
Stem cells can be divided into embryonic and adult stem cells.Embryonic stem cells are those stem cells which appear in the developmental stage of an embryo. This kind of stem cells are not yet specialised and are therefore called “totipotent”, i.e. a whole organism can grow from one cell. . Adult stem cells are those stem cells which can be found in the body after it is born. Compared to embryonic stem cells, adult stem cells are only "multipotent", i.e. only special kinds of cells can be created, but not anymore all. For example, in the human bone marrow there are cells which can copy vital blood cells. Also, stem cells were discovered in the liver which can replace died off cells. A well-known repairing function is the one found in the skin, e.g. after the surface has been bruised.
What are stem cells used for?
In medicine, stem cells are used to cure illnesses. This is mainly an exchange or replacement of damaged or lost tissue. For people with blood diseases, e.g. leukaemia, bone marrow transplantations have been carried out for forty years already. Thereby, the diseased bone marrow is exchanged with the bone marrow of a healthy donor. Stem cell treatment does not only fight the symptoms of illnesses, but also fixes ("regenerates") the damages in the body permanently.
Which possibilities are there in order to collect stem cells?
The collection and use of embryonic stem cells is ethically critical and legally forbidden in Germany, as embryos have to be destroyed for that. Even research is only possible according to very strict regulations. Adult stem cells can be collected with e.g. a spinal tap as used during bone marrow donation. But collecting adult stem cells from the body is painful and not free of risk for the patient. For some years there is also the possibility to collect stem cells from umbilical cord blood directly after birth. They are on a developmental stage between embryonic and adult stem cells and therefore have especially positive characteristics. Collecting those stem cells is free of risk and not painful. Around the world, the use of stem cells from umbilical cord blood steadily increases. Due to the good experience and the fast availability, this number of users will surely increase.
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