EBOOK Stem Cells: A Very Short Introduction

The topic of stem cells has been very high profile in the media in recent years.          There is much public interest in stem cells but also much confusion and        misinformation, with some companies already offering 'stem cell products' and bogus        'stem cell therapies'. In this Very Short Introduction, Jonathan Slack introduces        stem cells; what they are, what scientists do with them, what stem cell therapies        are available today, and how they might be used in future.Despite important        advances, clinical applications of stem cells are still in their infancy. Most real        stem cell therapy today is some form of bone marrow transplantation. Slack        introduces stem cells by explaining the difference between embryonic stem cells,        which exist only in laboratory cultures, and tissue-specific stem cells, which exist        in our bodies. Embryonic stem cells can become any cell type in the body, so        diseases that may in future be treated by functional cells derived from thesesorts        of stem cell include diabetes, Parkinson's disease, heart disease, and spinal        trauma. He then goes on to discuss the properties of tissue-specific stem cells and        the important technique of bone marrow transplantation. Slack concludes by analysing        how medical innovation has occurred in this areain the past, and draws out some of        the lessons for the development of new therapies in the future.