Introduction

Stem cells are different

They are the master builders of the body. Their two unique abilities are:
Self-renewal: they can divide and create copies of themselves many times.

Differentiation: they can transform into many different types of specialised cells, depending on the body's needs.

There are several main types of stem cells:

• Embryonic stem cells (ESCs): These are found in early-stage embryos. They are pluripotent, meaning they can become any type of cell in the body: muscle, nerve, skin or blood. This makes them powerful, but also controversial, because harvesting them involves destroying the embryo.
• Adult stem cells: These are found in tissues such as bone marrow, skin, or fat. They are multipotent, meaning they can become only certain types of cells. For example, bone marrow stem cells can produce blood cells, but not brain cells.
• Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS): a revolutionary discovery. In 2006, scientists Shinya Yamanaka and Kazutoshi Takahashi discovered how to take normal adult cells (such as skin cells) and “reprogram” them to act like embryonic stem cells. This means that scientists can now create pluripotent cells without embryos.

In simple terms, it is important to understand that stem cells are like blank Lego bricks. They can create copies of themselves or be moulded into many different pieces to build what the body needs.