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1. What types of diseases have the potential to be cured by stem cell technology

ID: 67708 • Letter: 1

Question

1. What types of diseases have the potential to be cured by stem cell technology? Are any stem cell treatment currently approved or in clinical trials?

2. What is the difference between an embryonic stem cell and an adult stem cell? What are the changes that occur in a cell as it differentiates?

3. How are stem cells and cancer cells similar?

4. What are the ethical issues surrounding the use of embryonic stem cells? Can any of these issues be avoided using technology such as somatic cell transfer or induced pluripotent stem cells, explain why or why not?

5. What are the potential dangers of stem cell technology?

Explanation / Answer

Cord blood stem cell transplants have already changed—and saved—thousands of lives around the world. They have already been used to treat more than 75 diseases, including numerous types of malignancies, anemia's, inherited metabolic disorders and deficiencies of the immune system.

Acute Leukemia:

Chronic Leukemia:

Myelodysplastic Syndromes:

Lymphoproliferative Disorders:

Phagocyte Disorders:

Inherited Metabolic Disorders:

Histiocytic Disorders

Inherited Erythrocyte Abnormalities

Inherited Immune System Disorders

Other Inherited Disorders

Inherited Platelet Abnormalities

Plasma Cell Disorders

Other Malignancies

the following diseases are approved to treat

2) Embryonic stem cells can become all cell types of the body because they are pluripotent. Adult stem cells are thought to be limited to differentiating into different cell types of their tissue of origin.

3) Stem cells are undifferentiated cells capable of giving rise to more cells of the same type. Additionally, they are capable of dividing limitlessly and replenishing other cells, acting as a repair system. When a stem cell divides, each new cell has the potential either to remain a stem cell or become a specialized cell, such as a neuron or blood cell.

Cancer cells are cells that divide and reproduce abnormally with uncontrolled growth. These cells can break away and travel to other parts of the body and set up another site (this is known as metastasis, which is the transfer of disease from one organ or part of a body to another not directly connected with the first organ or part of the body).