Stem Cells and Artificial Body Parts

Russab Ali

Stem cells are pluripotential cells, which means that is they have the capacity to develop into any of the numerous differentiated cell types that make up the body.

What are they?

Embryonic◦ All cells that make up an embryo are stem cells.

They all have the ability to become any body cell. Adult

◦ Adult stem cells are found in the bone marrow.

Where are they located?

 DNA from the cell of an adult animal extracted from the cell (usually a skin cell taken in a biopsy) and inserted into an egg cell from another animal of same species.◦ The egg cell has had its nucleus removed so that

it will read and duplicate the DNA of the donor cell.

The newly created embryo is then zapped with electricity so that it starts multiplying, until it becomes a blastocyst which is then implanted into a surrogate mother.

Cloning

Can be used to create new artificial body parts.

Two types◦ Therapeutic

Remove embryo after 14 days and use it to create specialized cells, tissues or organs.

◦ Reproductive Cloned embryo placed in womb until birth.

Cloning

Cloning

Many risks◦ Very inefficient with animals

90 % of the time, no living offspring Short lives Compromises immune system

Creating life just to slaughter it later◦ House of Scorpion

Ethics