Introduction to stem cells by Cryo-Save India

B Y C R Y O - S A V E I N D I A
Introduction to Stem Cells
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Topics Covered
 What are stem cells?
 Properties of stem cells
 Types of stem cells
 Applications of stem cells
 Stem 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 Research
 Drug Discovery
 Cell Therapy
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Discovery Technology Treatment
Basic discoveries
in stem cell biology
Platform technologies:
Large scale production
Drug discovery, functional
genomics
Patient treatment
and 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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Introduction to stem cells by Cryo-Save India

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