About the revolution in medicine -
Stem Cells

Almost every week there is a news story about "stem cells" and their tremendous potential for treating a wide range of diseases. But is this real or is it hype? And what is a stem cell anyway?

If you want to know more, click on the links at the right hand side under "More about stem cells" and "More about cord blood".

What is a stem cell?

Stem cells are essential throughout adult life, as a reservoir of cells to sustain the constant renewal and repair of all the tissues in the body. There are actually many different kinds of stem cells. In the broadest sense, a stem cell is a cell that, when it divides into two, can give rise to more stem cells and can also give rise to cells that will, after many further divisions, develop into one or more types of mature cells to maintain and heal tissues. As a result, the number of stem cells is maintained, while also giving rise to large numbers of mature cells - a process called "self renewal" (diagram). In the embryo, this process ultimately gives rise to all the tissues and organs in the developing fetus. This is also an essential process throughout life - for example, your body makes 200 billion new blood cells each and every day of your life, and your skin is totally replaced every two weeks. These processes are only possible because of the constant activity of stem cells.

Stem cells can be isolated from many tissues in the adult - skin, bone marrow, muscle, brain etc. - and even within a given tissue or organ there will be different types of stem cells present. These various types of stem cells differ in their ability to divide and in the types of mature cells they can give rise to. So, for example, a blood stem cell (which can be found in the bone marrow) gives rise to blood cells, and a brain stem cell gives rise to nerve cells. Some stem cells are more "primitive" - they can give rise to many different types of mature cell. And there is even evidence that stem cells can "change their spots" and give rise to cell types other than those that would be expected, particularly when there is injury or damage.

Why are stem cells important?

Stem cells are important because of their two main functions:

  • They maintain the constant replacement of normal tissues throughout life
  • They are responsible for the repair of tissues after injury or damage

Many diseases are caused by a lack of healthy functioning stem cells. Theoretically, many diseases could be treated by stem cells.

Cord blood is a rich source of stem cells. It is now known that cord blood contains not only blood stem cells (i.e. the stem cells that can give rise to the many types of cells in the blood), but also contains more primitive stem cells, including a type of stem cell (called an ’unrestricted stem cell’) that seems to be able to give rise to many (perhaps most) different types of mature cell.

Want to know more on the science of stem cells?

Biocell is committed to keeping you up to date with the science of stem cells. Have a look at the links in the boxes at the right hand side of this page under "More about stem cells" and at our FAQ’s , download our InfoSheets, or call our office on 1800 071 075 and ask for our Info Sheets to be sent out to you.