WHAT ARE STEM CELLS?

Stem cells are human body’s natural repair mechanism, and as such act as the foundation for every type of cell in the body.

There are many different types of stem cells, each with their own unique set of properties. However, they can all self-renew, which produces more stem cells from a single cell and they can undertake differentiation into more than one cell type, in some cases all cells types that the body uses in life. This important property allows stem cells to turn into specific types of cells - for example bone cells or skin cells.

Because of their ability to become different types of cells they offer the greatest potential to treat degenerative conditions and illnesses that could potentially affect us all, whether directly or in-directly – spinal cord damage, sports injuries, bone, cartilage and tendon damage, blood cancer, diabetes, Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, arthritis, blindness, stroke and heart disease.

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DIFFERENT TYPES OF STEM CELLS

Adult Stem Cells

Adult stem cells are found in adult tissues such as skin, muscle, intestine and bone marrow. They can replace cells that die or restore tissue after injury. Adult stem cells are tissue-specific, meaning they are found in a given tissue or organ. For example adult stem cells from the liver can only make more liver cells. This particular type of cell is used in a few approved therapies, for example bone marrow or cord blood stem cell transplantation.

Cord Blood Stem Cells

Cord blood stem cells are found in the umbilical cord and are currently used to treat diseases of the blood or to restore the blood system. Unlike adult stem cells, they can be grown indefinitely in the laboratory, giving researchers an unlimited supply.

Embryonic Stem Cells

Embryonic stem cells are derived from early embryos and can in theory develop into all cell types in the body. Although these cells are helping us to understand diseases, there are currently no treatments using embryonic stem cells accepted by the medical community.

Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (IPS Cells)

iPS cells have been 'reprogrammed' from cells in the body to behave like embryonic stem cells. Like embryonic stem cells, iPS cells have the ability to become all cell types in the body, and they are a powerful tool for creating disease specific cell. They have shown enormous promise in terms of therapy manufacture