STEM CELL TECHNOLOGY
Sources of Stem Cells
Stem cells can be various from various sources such as the bone marrow, embryos obtained by in vitro fertilization, amniotic fluid, umbilical cord blood and menstrual blood. Stem cells are classified according to the source from which they are obtained.
(a) Somatic Stem Cells
Stem cells are found in small numbers in adult tissue such as brain bone marrow, peripheral blood, blood vessels, skeletal muscle, skin, liver and umbilical cord blood. The primary role of stem cells in the body is to maintain and repair the tissues in which they are found, as they are multipotent in nature.
Bone Marrow - Of all adult tissue, the bone marrow is an extremely rich source of somatic stem cells. Drawn from the spongy tissue found in the center of bones, the main function of these stem cells is to make blood cell that circulate in our bodies and fight infection. In stem cell therapy, bone marrow was the earliest source of stem cells due to its rich supply.
Umbilical Cord - The other rich source of stem cells is the blood left over in the umbilical cord and placenta of a new born child. Till recently, this blood was often discarded as medical waste. However, now that umbilical cord blood is known to be a rich source of stem cells, more people are choosing to bank these cells for its potential future use.
Pain:
Bone marrow harvesting is an invasive and painful procedure while cord tissue/cord blood extraction is quick, painless and harmless to both mother and baby.
(b) Cord Tissue/Mesenchymal Stem Cell
Mesenchymal stem cells are also found in the connective tissue of the umbilical cord, and that these stem cells that can be easily collected, processed and cryopreserved. These umbilical cord tissue stem cells have been shown to multiply rapidly and differentiate into many other types of stem cells such as neural, cardiac, bone, fat and cartilage.
(c) Menstrual Blood Stem Cell
Menstrual blood is very rich source of stem cells. Menstrual blood stem cells can be collected from the age of 12 years up to 47. The study reveals that menstrual stem cells were able to generate cells types such as blood vessel, brain, liver, lung, heart and pancreas.
(d) Embryonic Stem (ES) Cells
As the embryonic development occurs, cells of the inner mass of embryo represent embryonic stem cells. They continue to divide and remain in an undifferentiated to totipotent state.