Stem cell line
You don't need to be Editor-In-Chief to add or edit content to WikiDoc. You can begin to add to or edit text on this WikiDoc page by clicking on the edit button at the top of this page. Next enter or edit the information that you would like to appear here. Once you are done editing, scroll down and click the Save page button at the bottom of the page.
A stem cell line is a family of constantly-dividing cells, the product of a single parent group of stem cells. They are obtained from human or animal tissues and can replicate for long periods of time in vitro ("within glass"; or, commonly, "in the lab", in an artificial environment).
Contents |
Embryonic line creation
Embryonic stem cell lines are created from embryos. A living single stem cell from the embryo is placed in a petri dish (without agar) and provided with nutrients and growth factors that simulate those found in the womb. The resulting cell line will continue to divide provided it receives sufficient chemical signals instructing it to remain undifferentiated. There are currently more than sixty {400 total stem cell lines, according to NIH} embryonic stem cell lines in the world, but this figure is currently under dispute and many researchers in the field consider it a significant overestimate. The U.S. National Institutes of Health currently lists only 22 lines that are available for distribution to researchers.
Alternative sources
Adult stem cell lines isolated from mature tissues are commonly used in stem cell research, as are cells isolated from umbilical cord blood. However, these cells have a genetic imprint of the host they were taken from, thus limiting their therapeutic use in genetic disorders. Also, adult stem cells are not totipotent or pluripotent like embryonic stem cells, but rather more specialized cells that are multipotent.
New techniques
Typically, stem cells have been maintained using tissue culture methods that essentially date from the 1950's. In particular, they are often "fed" using mouse embryonic fibroblasts ("feeder cells") while being simultaneously suspended in a nutrient solution ("media"). However, many scientists are recognizing the importance of using media that is completely free of animal ingredients. This not only liberates cell lines from animal feeder cells, but also brings the in vivo therapeutic use of stem cells one step closer to reality.
See also
News and Sources
- http://gslc.genetics.utah.edu/units/stemcells/sccreate/
- StemAid - Company offering therapy using stem-cell lines
- CalbaTech launches America's First Stem Cell Micro Bank to Harvest Adult Stem Cells
Stem cells |
|---|
Sources: Embryonic stem cells | Adult stem cells | Cancer stem cells Related articles: Stem cell treatments | Stem cell controversy | Stem cell line | Progenitor cell | Cellular differentiation |
- [[1]]
References
Acknowledgement and Attribution Regarding Sources of Content
Some of the initial content on this page may be incorporated in part from copyleft sources in the public domain including wikis such as Wikipedia and AskDrWiki. Drug information for patients came from the The National Library of Medicine. Infectious disease information may have come from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Differential Diagnoses are drawn from clinicians as well as an amalgamation of 3 sources: 1.The Disease Database; 2. Kahan, Scott, Smith, Ellen G. In A Page: Signs and Symptoms. Malden, Massachusetts: Blackwell Publishing, 2004:3; 3. Sailer, Christian, Wasner, Susanne. Differential Diagnosis Pocket. Hermosa Beach, CA: Borm Bruckmeir Publishing LLC, 2002:7 .
