We are aware that different types of cells make up our body, but we usually forget to appreciate that all of these different cell types arose from a single cell, the fertilized egg. Stem cells from embryo can become any cell in the human body.Adult stem cells were thought to be restricted to produce differentiated cells, which were specific to the organs from which they were isolated but recently it was demonstrated that these stem cells, under certain conditions, can be induced to form other cell types.
The above principles are applied in various clinical applications.
Applications of stem cells:
• The main clinical application of stem cells is as a source of donor cells to be used to replace cells in transplantation therapy.
• The isolation of additional stem and progenitor cells is being developed for many other clinical applications like skin replacement, brain cell transplantation, treatment for diabetes, etc.
