Stem cells are master cells that can differentiate into many other cell types and have the properties of plasticity and potency. There are several types of stem cells including totipotent, pluripotent, and multipotent cells. Stem cell research holds promise for developing regenerative medicine treatments for diseases like diabetes, heart disease, and spinal cord injuries. However, embryonic stem cells research faces ethical issues regarding embryo destruction.

1. Stem Cells Therapy
By
Professor.ir.Faisal

4. Lecture Outline
What are stem cells?
Different types of stem
cells/properties
Harvesting & propagation of stem
cells
Applications
Clinical Trials

5. Stem cell Scientific Progress & Future Research Direction
ES cells – Human Blastocyst

6. What are stem cells?
• Stem cells are mother cells or “master cells “that generates all or many
different cells needed for development and function (i.e. blood cells,
fat cells, bone cells, muscle cells).
Stem cells have two main properties

7. Two Main Characteristics
Plastic
• ability to differentiate into cell
types other than the tissues that
they normally reside
• ability to differentiate into
different type of cells
Potency
Plasticity Vs Potency

8. Two Main Characteristics
Stem cell
Stem cell
( unlimited
cell
division )
Specialized cell
(e.g., white blood cell)

9. Testing medical
treatments
Understanding disease
Treating disease
Promise of Stem Cell Research

10. Types of Stem Cells
Totipotent cells
Up to 16 cells stage
Pluripotent cells Multipotent cells
Multipotent cells
Multipotent cells
Amniotic Fluid Stem Cells
Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells
(iPSCs)
Cancer Stem Cells
Pluripotent cells
Pluripotent cells

11. Potency definitions of stem cells
 Totipotent: can differentiate into an entire organism, result from
fusion of egg and sperm
 Pluripotent : can differentiate into any tissue type.
 Multipotent: can differentiate into multiple specialized cells.
 Unipotent: these cells only produce one cell type., but have the property
of self renewal which distinguishes them from the non stem cells.

12. Embryonic S.C. Adult S.C.
“Pluripotent” “Multipotent”
(can become any cell
types present in the human
body )
(“can become many
but not any”)
E.g., blood stem cells can
develop into several blood
cell types, but cannot
develop into brain, kidney, or
liver cells
Stable. Can undergo
many cell divisions.
Less Stable. Capacity
for self-renewal is
limited.
Easy to obtain but
blastocyst is
destroyed.
Difficult to isolate in
adult tissue.
Advantages of Embryonic Stem Cells
over adult stem cells

13. Derivation of Amniotic Fluid Stem Cells from Mid-term pregnancy

14. Morphology of AFS cells Under higher magnification (40X)
AFS cells in culture

15. Potential applications
regenerative medicine
-tissue replacement after injury
or disease
Fundamental studies
-diseased model
Human
Animal
Animal model to study
basic fundamental and disease
developmental processes
-understand mechanisms
behind differentiation

16. Therapeutic applications
Potential in treating
Leukemia and aplastic anemia
Diabetes
traumatic spinal cord injury
Muscular dystrophy
Heart disease
vision and hearing loss
Baldness (hair absence)

18. Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (“HSCT”)
Stem cells that give rise to the lymphocytes and other cells of the immune system, also make
blood cells, are called hematopoietic stem cells.
The process of taking stem cells from one person and putting them into another is therefore
called “ HCST”.
To treat cancer patients with conditions such as leukemia and lymphoma.

19. Stem cells in treating baldness
 As hair follicles contain stem cells,
 Take stem cells from existing hair follicles.
 Multiply them in cultures.
 Implant the new follicles into the scalp.

20. Stem cells in treating baldness

21. Diabetes patients lose the
function of their insulin-
producing beta cells of the
pancreas.
Human stem cells may be
grown in cell cultures and
stimulate to form insulin-
producing cells ,that can be
transplanted into the
patient.
Diabetes

22. Corneal disease / blindness
 Result in poor vision.
 Take stem cells from healthy eye.
 Grown onto contact lenses in clinical lab.
 Lenses are worn by the patient for a period of three weeks.
 Then migration of human stem cells from lens to damaged
eye and begin to repair process.
 Thus heals the damaged cornea and quickly improves the
vision.

23. Corneal disease/blindness

24. Take human stem cells from embryo.
Culture these stem cells with special chemical
broth that encourages the growth of kidney
cells.
Then new kidney cells can now be injected into
a kidney to repair damaged tissue.
Kidney Stem Cells

25. Heart damage

26. Problems with ES cells
 Ethical issues – destruction of embryos
 Contamination by the reagents used in tissue culture
 non-human molecules (xenoproteins)
 Donor-host rejection
 rejection of the differentiated cells derived from ES cells
 therapeutic cloning - creating embryonic stem cells that are
genetically identical to the patient.

27. Pop Quiz
Answer these questions in 5 minutes
1. Name two main properties of stem cells
2. Name one type of pluripotent stem cells.
3. Name 3 types of multipotent stem cells.
4. Can embryonic stem cells differentiate into liver?
5. Name 2 examples of adult stem cells.
Please submit both pre and post answers

28. THANK YOU FOR YOUR KIND
ATTENTION