Stem Cells

Sorry Guys, that this post came very late. But I have been very busy! I think I might be posting once a week from now on. So now for our next topic of interest!

   Stem Cells
Stem Cells, the most fascinating cell, in my opinion, in the human body. It may also be the future cure for many diseases such as Alzheimer's. But before we get any further down that road, let's first ask ourselves, what is a stem cell?
    Think of a stem cell as a backup or an interchangeable part. A stem cell, is literally just a cell that has no specific function or purpose. However, the special thing about stem cells is that they can literally become any type of cell. Stem cells are kind of like the repair system of the body. A stem cell can become a nerve cell, a brain cell, or a red blood cell. These cells are also capable of renewing themselves through cell division. As long as the organism is alive, the stem cells can help stock up when there is a shortage in a specific type of cell. Since, these cells do not have any specialized purpose that is why they are so important to the future of health. However, stem cells must be derived in the earliest stages before they are assigned a specific job. That way, scientist can "program" it to become something they want it to be. However, not all stem ells can turn into anything. There are specific categories of stem cells based on the different things these stem cells can become.
There is the:
     Totipotent Stem Cell- This type of stem cell can turn into any type of cell type. An example of one of these stem cells is the zygote formed at egg fertilization, also the first few cells from division of the zygote.
     Pluripotent Stem Cell- This type of stem cell is able to become almost all cell types.
      Multipotent Stem Cell- This type of stem cell can only differentiate into closely related family of cells.
      Oligopotent Cell- the ability to differentiate into a few cells.
      Unipotent- the ability to only produce cells of their own, however, they still have they characteristic of renewing itself so it is classified as a stem cell.
     Now that you have a little background on stem cells. How do these cells actually help contribute to science and technology? The most obvious answer would probably be tissue regeneration. Stem cells are able to turn into any type of cell, thus they should be able to replenish tissue cells. But most researchers working with stem cells are trying to use them to help cure disease. Alzheimer's is one of the biggies they are working on currently. Alzheimer's disease is the most common for of dementia. It is not the classic grandma scenario where she forgets her keys on the kitchen table. It is a lot more than that. Alzheimer's Disease attacks the part of the brain that controls memory.The survival range for Alzheimer's Disease is 4 to 20 years. Stem cells can possibly cure Alzheimer's Disease, If scientists can program stem cells to turn into brain cells then it would cure Alzheimer's Disease in a way. New brain cells will be reproduced and they can renew themselves. The old brain cells would die off by the disease. Although, the only flaw is that the brain is made up of a complex system of neurons. These stem cells that would be transplanted into the brain must overcome a series of difficult obstacles. They would have to travel to the parts of the brain that were effected by the disease. Also, they would have to produce a lot of the different types of neurons to actually replace the lost cells. Most importantly, they would have to effectively replace the broken connections of the complex network of neurons. Scientists are currently testing stem cell transplants on mice, (who would've thought, right?) and signs have shown benefits. The current research with stem cells can help scientists find new drugs to help counter the disease. Maybe in the next few years we will see stem cell research used on humans. I hope this has been fun. Bye guys!