WHY STEM CELLS WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE HOW DO STEM CELLS KNOW WHAT TO BECOME

Stem cells maintain a built in variability that nature can harness for change under the right conditions

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Stem cell breakthrough! Stem cell controversy! Stem cells are cells that can turn into any cell in the body. You may be surprised to hear that stem cells have been used to replace tissue in the body for many years. Bone marrow stem cells are used to treat leukemia,for example. The problem is that the bone marrow cells pretty much form only blood tissues. Why are stem cells so important and the potential to cure disease so great? Some people swear by stem cells others swear at them. But what are stem cells? Why are they so important and controversial? Are there different types of stem cells? And what kinds of things are researchers hoping to learn about by doing “stem cell research”? If we understood how stem cells are guided to become part of the brain, the eye, the arm then perhaps we would be able to "tell the stem cells" what to become and so create or replace damage.





But "how does a stem cell decide what specialized identity to adopt or simply to remain a stem cell? That's the 64 million dollar question! A new study suggests that the conventional view, which assumes that cells are "instructed" to progress along prescribed signaling pathways, is too simplistic. Instead, it supports the idea that cells differentiate through the collective behavior of multiple genes in a network that ultimately leads to just a few endpoints--just as a marble on a hilltop can travel a nearly infinite number of downward paths, only to arrive in the same valley"".



The findings, published in the May 22, 2008 issue of Nature, give a glimpse into how that collective behavior works, and show that stem cell populations maintain a built-in variability that nature can harness for change under the right conditions. The findings also help explain why the process of differentiating stem cells into specific lineages in the laboratory has been highly inefficient".

What are Stem Cells Why Stem cells Will Change Your Life

Many Paths Few Destinations How Stem Cells Decide What They'll Be

WHAT ARE STEM CELLS HOW AND WHY STEM CELLS WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE

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Will it take a genius like da Vinci to unlock the secrets of stem cells

The newspaper headlines scream out at you stem cell breakthrough! stem cell controversy!. Some people swear by them others swear at them. But what are stem cells? Why are they so important and controversial? Are there different types of stem cells? And what kinds of things are researchers hoping to learn about by doing “stem cell research”? In his excellent blog, Dr.David Loeb talks about stem cells. What are they and where are we going?



"First of all, what is a stem cell? To answer that, I’ll start with one of the main principles of modern biology: in every organ in your body, there are cells that are fully developed (differentiated is the term scientists use), and cells that sit in reserve to replace the differentiated cells as they age. Those cells that sit in reserve are unique in their ability to both create copies of themselves (called self-renewal) and to create “daughter cells” that are more differentiated. These “daughter cells” are stem cells".



"Stem cells come in two varieties: the ones that are found in mature organs (like bone marrow) and the ones that are found in a developing embryo and give rise to the entire body. So what are the controversies that surround stem cells? Well, the major controversy is over the source of stem cells that scientists use for their experiments. For example, most people are not concerned about stem cells that are harvested from bone marrow, but they do object to embryonic stem cells that require the destruction of an embryo. I guess it’s obvious why some people find that objectionable but others do not".





"What good are stem cells, anyway? What kinds of things do scientists think they can do with stem cells? I study stem cells. I know many other people who study stem cells. No one I know wants to do what the loudest anti-stem-cell-research voices are shouting about – clone a human. What we do want to do is exploit the potential of these cells to replace broken cells and cure human disease". Read more at:

Stem Cells or A Rose By Any Other Name

Read healty medical Yamanaka and Thomson Turn Skin Cells into Stem Cells




Watch the Video Everything You Wanted To Know About Stem Cells


Everything You Wanted to Know About Stem Cells Click the arrow

WHAT ARE STEM CELLS: YAMANAKA THOMPSON TURNED SKIN CELLS INTO STEM CELLS WHY ITS A BIG DEAL

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Stem cells are cells that can turn into any cell in the body. You may be surprised to hear that stem cells have been used to replace tissue in the body for many years. Bone marrow stem cells are used to treat leukemia,for example. The problem is that the bone marrow cells pretty much form only blood tissues.












But what if you had stem cells that could turn into any tissue in the body? Stem cell scientists in Wisconsin and Japan (like modern day alchemists) have inserted four genes into skin cells and turned them into what seem to be stem cells. It's almost a miracle!


Most adult cells are differentiated (they have become specialized). For example a brain cell is specialized for brain function. A skin cell for skin function and so on. Most cells in adults are specialized. When an embryo is just conceived the first few cells have the potential to develop into anything in the body. But as growth continues groups of cells diverge onto different pathways and can't go back (or so we thought).Why is this a big deal? Well for now it may make disease research easier to do. But what if you could make eye or heart stem cells to get tissue repair and replacement?

YAMANAKA Risk Taking Is in His Genes



Here are 2 videos explaining what Yamanaka and Thompson did. And a third video, Everything You Wanted to Know About Stem Cells

Yamanka Lab at Kyoto University Research Page



Japanese Stem Cell Breakthrough How Yamanaka Made Skin Cells into Stem Cells Click the arrow

Stem Cell Basics

Pluripotency Without Tumors?





Wisconsin Stem Cell Story Click the arrow






Everything You Wanted to Know About Stem Cells Click the arrow