Stem Cells 101
These cells can develop into many different cell types in the body during early life.
What are stem cells?
These stem cells are created by reprogramming adult cells back into pluripotent state.
What are induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs)?
This field combines biology and engineering to design biological systems.
What is bioengineering?
Disease caused by rapid and uncontrolled cell growth.
What is cancer?
This approach allows specific and personalized testing of drug responses outside of the body.
What is precision medicine?
This type of stem cell can become any cell in the body.
What are pluripotent stem cells?
This scientist helped discover iPSCs and won a Nobel Prize in 2012.
Who is Shinya Yamanaka?
A device used to grow large amounts of cells.
What is a bioreactor?
Matching donor and recipient cells helps reduce this immune response.
What is rejection?
These 3D-grown structures mimic real organs and are used in research.
What are organoids?
Adult stem cells are typically described as having this level of potency.
What is multipotent?
This is the process by which stem cells become specialized cells such as neurons.
What is differentiation?
This material is often used as a scaffold to support cell growth in tissue engineering.
What is a biomaterial?
Uncontrolled stem cell growth can lead to these types of dangerous masses.
What is a teratoma?
Adult stem cells can be used to treat this type of cancer.
What is leukemia?
A cell that can differentiate into any cell type in the body as well as extra-embryonic tissue.
What is totipotent?
These proteins are introduced to reprogram adult cells to iPSCs.
What are transcription factors (Yamanaka factors)?
This technology allows scientists to precisely edit genes within DNA.
What is CRISPR?
This is the risk that transplanted cells might grow uncontrollably.
What is tumorigenicity?
This approach uses a patient's own cells to reduce rejection risk.
What is autologous therapy?
Embryonic stem cells are derived from this early-stage structure.
What is the blastocyst?
Induced pluripotent cells can be made by reprogramming this cell type.
What are somatic/adult cells?
Growing replacement tissues or organs from stem cells falls under this field.
What is regenerative medicine?
This therapy currently uses engineered stem cells.
What is CAR-T therapy?
This critical component delivers oxygen and nutrients to tissues and is missing in organoid systems.
What is vasculature?