Cell Therapies Derived From Adult Stem Cells
Adult stem cells are multipotent cells committed to specific lineages. They can replenish dying cells and damaged tissues by multiplying through cell division and differentiating into a subset of cell types specific to its lineage. As such, they hold vast regenerative and therapeutic potential. Furthermore, their use in cell therapy is less controversial as they can be harvested from various sources in humans whereas the use of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) often entails destruction of human embryos. Thus, recent efforts are focused on efficient expansion and differentiation of adult stem cells for clinical purposes. Notably, there have been significant advancements in clinical applications of neural, mesenchymal and hematopoietic stem cells. Further recent advances have highlighted a population of small (1-2 micron diameter) stem cells present in adult blood and tissue. Variously termed 'blastomere-like stem cells' and 'very-small embryonic stem cells', these novel entities express OCT4, nanog, SSEA-1, CEACAM and present an exciting new therapeutic avenue.
Read more about this topic: Cell Therapy
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