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BY CRYO -SAVE INDIA

Introduction to Stem Cells

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Topics Covered

What are stem cells?Properties of stem cellsTypes of stem cellsApplications of stem cellsStem cell therapy Stem cell banking

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Stem Cells

Stem Cells are those undifferentiated cells that haven’t been assigned a biological function yet. It’s because of this very reason; it can differentiate into nearly any specialized cell and can divide further to produce more stem cells of the same type. This has made it possible for scientists to repair worn out and damaged organs with the help of stem cells.

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Stem Cell Properties

Thus, they have two key properties:

Self-renewal - The ability to divide (self-replicate) for indefinite periods—often throughout the life of the organism.

Differentiation - The ability to develop or specialise to give rise to mature functional cells that have characteristic shapes and specialized functions, such as heart cells, skin cells, or nerve cells.

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Types of Stem Cells

Stem Cells can be classified based on:Potency levels

Totipotent Pluripotent Multipotent Oligopotent Unipotent

Source Embryonic Stem Cells Adult Stem Cells

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Potency Levels

Totipotent – Stem cells that have the ability to differentiate into all possible cell types, e.g. – Fertilized egg (zygot)

Pluripotent – Stem cells that have the ability to develop into almost all cell types, e.g. – Embryonic stem cells

Multi-potent – Stem cells that have the ability to differentiate into a closely related family of cells, e.g. - Hematopoietic stem cells that can become red and white blood cells or platelet

Oligopotent - Stem cells that have the ability to differentiate into only a few cell types,e.g. - Lymphoid or myeloid stem cells

Unipotent - Stem cells that can produce only one cell type, but have the property of self-renewal which distinguishes them from the non stem cells, e.g. – Muscle stem cells

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Source

Embryonic Stem Cells – They are derived from the inner cell mass of a blastocyst / human embryo. They are pluripotent and can renew themselves indefinitely.

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Source

Adult Stem Cells – They are isolated from adult tissues, organs or blood, cord blood, etc. They are multipotent and can renew themselves a number of times but not indefinitely. Adult stem cells are found in many tissues : Hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) Bone marrow stromal stem cells (also called mesenchymal

stem cells) (MSC) Neural stem cells (NSC) Skin stem cells Adipose stem cells

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Stem Cell Applications

Stem Cells have applications in:Basic ResearchDrug DiscoveryCell Therapy

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Discovery Technology Treatment

Basic discoveries in stem cell biology

Platform technologies:Large scale productionDrug discovery, functionalgenomics

Patient treatmentand Clinical trials

Engineering, Biotech,pharma

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Stem Cell Therapy

Stem cells are at the forefront of science. Although the field is still in its infancy there is constant advancement and research related to it has shown great promise in the medical field.

Stem cell therapy is the use of stem cells to treat or prevent a disease or condition.

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Stem Cell Banking

The collection and preservation of stem cells for use.

Umbilical Cord Blood banking - The blood that remains in the umbilical cord and placenta after a baby is born is rich in blood stem cells. They can be collected easily without causing pain to the baby or mother through a non-invasive procedure.

Adult Peripheral Blood collection and cryopreservation for future treatment of diseases

Stem cells collected from UCB, Adipocytes and Peripheral Blood by Apheresis

Stem cells can be Cryopreserved for use in Cancers, CAD, Stroke, Diabetes, Burns, Spinal Cord injury, Osteoarthritis, Regenerative medicine, etc.

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The Future

Stem cells with their unique properties of self-renewal and differentiation definitely have the potential to treat a number of diseases and conditions that today don’t have a cure.

Thus, further research in this field supported by awareness about their benefits is the way forward.

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