Stem Cells

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Summary

Stem cells are cells with the potential to develop into many different types of cells in the body. They serve as a repair system for the body. There are two main types of stem cells: embryonic stem cells and adult stem cells.

Stem cells are different from other cells in the body in three ways:

They can divide and renew themselves over a long time
They are unspecialized, so they cannot do specific functions in the body
They have the potential to become specialized cells, such as muscle cells, blood cells, and brain cells

Doctors and scientists are excited about stem cells because they could help in many different areas of health and medical research. Studying stem cells may help explain how serious conditions such as birth defects and cancer come about. Stem cells may one day be used to make cells and tissues for therapy of many diseases. Examples include Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, spinal cord injury, heart disease, diabetes, and arthritis.

NIH: National Institutes of Health

Start Here

Learn About Stem Cells (International Society for Stem Cell Research)
Stem Cell Basics (National Institutes of Health)
Stem Cell Transplant (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
Stem Cells: What They Are and What They Do (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish

Related Issues

Cord Blood Testing and Banking (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
Donating Peripheral Blood Stem Cells (National Marrow Donor Program)
FDA Warns About Stem Cell Therapies (Food and Drug Administration) Also in Spanish
Life after Transplant (National Marrow Donor Program)
Stem Cell Transplant Patients and Fungal Infections (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
Stem Cell Treatments: What to Ask (International Society for Stem Cell Research)
Treatment before Transplant (National Marrow Donor Program)
What's It Like to Donate Stem Cells? (American Cancer Society) Also in Spanish

Specifics

Blood-Forming Stem Cell Transplants (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
Cord Blood and Transplants (National Marrow Donor Program)
Learn About Bone Marrow Transplantation as a Treatment Option (Health Resources and Services Administration)
Nine Things to Know About Stem Cell Treatments (International Society for Stem Cell Research)
Stem Cell Transplant Side Effects (American Cancer Society) Also in Spanish
Types of Stem Cells (International Society for Stem Cell Research) Also in Spanish
What is it Like to Get a Stem Cell Transplant? (American Cancer Society) Also in Spanish

Videos and Tutorials

Becoming a Blood Stem Cell Donor (National Cancer Institute)

Statistics and Research

Donation and Transplantation Statistics (Health Resources and Services Administration)
Information on Stem Cell Research (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)

Clinical Trials

ClinicalTrials.gov: Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (National Institutes of Health)
ClinicalTrials.gov: Hematopoietic Stem Cells (National Institutes of Health)
ClinicalTrials.gov: Stem Cell Transplantation (National Institutes of Health)
ClinicalTrials.gov: Stem Cells (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

Find an Expert

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke Also in Spanish

Children

Stem Cell Transplants (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish

Teenagers

Stem Cell Transplants (For Teens) (Nemours Foundation)

Patient Handouts

Bone marrow (stem cell) donation (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Organ or Stem Cell Transplant and Your Mouth (National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research) - PDF

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