What are Stem-Cells?

Stem-cells have been in the news a lot in the last decade or so.  You’ve probably heard about them during any number of controversial discussions about fetuses and abortion rights.  A fetus in its earliest stage of growth is called an embryo, and it is composed of embryonic stem-cells.  The embryonic stage begins immediately upon the fertilization of a female’s egg and continues until the replicating cells become differentiated and even beyond.  For example, a newborn infant’s umbilical cord will be full of embryonic stem-cells.

What do I mean by ‘differentiated’?  A stem-cell is the simplest, most basic cell there is.  It doesn’t resemble anything.  Once the combined DNA of the parents activates these cells, they become specific parts of the human body.  Some will become organs, some muscle tissue and some bones, etc.  What is particularly interesting to those of us with blood-related diseases is that some stem-cells will become the elements of our blood.

Embryonic stem-cells are not used during an autologous stem-cell transplant, however, and that’s because adults have stem-cells too!

Human beings continuously produce stem cells in their bone marrow to replace old blood with new blood throughout their lives.  The older we get the less efficient this process becomes, and the more problematic the state of the stem-cells.  Generally speaking, though, they are a sufficient starting point for a bone-marrow or stem-cell transplant.