Stem Cell FAQs – MED – Stem Cell Institute, University of …

STEM CELL FREQUENTLY ASKEDQUESTIONS

THE PROMISE OF STEM CELLS

Stem cells can develop into different cell types. They may offer a renewable source of replacement cells to treat diseases, conditions, and disabilities.

Source:http://stemcells.nih.gov/Pages/Default.aspx

The University of Minnesota Stem Cell Institute (SCI), the first such institute in the United States, studies the basic biology of how stem cells work. The SCI faculty works in collaboration with many other areas in the University to lay the foundation for safe and effective treatments using stem cells. The SCI performs research and does not treat patients directly.

Cells are categorized as stem cells when they have the ability, as they divide and reproduce, to generate cells of several different types. The Stem Cell Institute works with many different types of stem cells. Stem cells can be pluripotent (able to generate any type of cell found in the body), multipotent (able to generate a limited number of different cell types), or oligopotent (able to generate two or more cell types within a specific tissue).

Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) are created by taking adult cells and reprogramming them to express genes that are active in stem cells until they again have the potential to develop into different types of cells. In this way, iPSCs made from adult skin cells could be used not only to repair the skin, but to repair a damaged heart muscle or liver. This technology is extensively in use at the University of Minnesota and is thought to be a highly promising option for many different patient therapies. An important potential advantage of using a patients own cells for treatment is that bodies do not reject their own cells. This reduces the risk and increases the possible effectiveness of using these cells.

Adult stem cells, found in the blood, bone marrow, muscle, and organs (for example, the brain, liver, and skin), are multipotent and part of the bodys system to maintain and repair itself. Their ability to generate different cell types is usually limited to the type of tissue in which they are found.

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Stem Cell FAQs - MED - Stem Cell Institute, University of ...