Stem Cells

    Stem cells are completely unique cells, much different for other kinds for three reasons: one, they are unspecialized.  Two, they can split to make new cells.  Three, they can create cells that are unspecialized. 

Parkinson's Disease is thought to be the first disease to go with stem cell transplantation.  The stem cells that would be transplanted are DA neurons, a type of embryonic stem cell that would relieve the symptoms.  Embryonic stem cells are stem cells separated from embryos that are fertilized in vitro, (fertilized unnaturally).  The process of growing stem cells in a laboratory is called cell culture.

If the stem cell is from a human embryo its innards must be taken out and put in a lab dish that contains a nutrient broth called culture medium.  The cells separate and cover the dish.

Adult stem cells, (also known as somatic stem cells), are undifferentiated cells among cells differentiated, and can hold the specialized cells in the tissue or organ it is in.  Their job is to fix the tissue they inhabit. 

Adult stem cells could do therapy for diseases if the theory that they can split into many different types of stem cells is true, if it can be controlled in the laboratory.  

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