RESOURCES Educational Resources Stem Cells 101 Stem Cells Primer What Are The Similarities And Differences Between Embryonic And Adult Stem Cells? What Are The Similarities And Differences Between Embryonic And Adult Stem Cells? |
|
|
|
|
Human embryonic and adult Stem Cells each have advantages and
disadvantages regarding potential use for cell-based regenerative
therapies. Of course, adult and Embryonic Stem Cells differ in the
number and type of differentiated cells types they can become.
Embryonic stem cells can become all cell types of the body because they
are Pluripotent. Adult stem cells are generally limited to
differentiating into different cell types of their tissue of origin.
However, some evidence suggests that adult stem cell Plasticity may
exist, increasing the number of cell types a given adult stem cell can
become.
Large numbers of embryonic stem cells can be relatively easily grown in culture, while adult stem cells are rare in mature tissues and methods for expanding their numbers in Cell Culture have not yet been worked out. This is an important distinction, as large numbers of cells are needed for stem cell replacement therapies.
A potential advantage of using stem cells from an adult is that the
patient's own cells could be expanded in culture and then reintroduced
into the patient. The use of the patient's own adult stem cells would
mean that the cells would not be rejected by the immune system. This
represents a significant advantage as immune rejection is a difficult
problem that can only be circumvented with immunosuppressive drugs. |
Portal Toolbox
