Recent advances in stem cell research

Abstract

Stem cells are totipotent progenitor cells which are capable of selfrenewal and differentiation into multilineage cell types. The stem cells divide unlimitedly; therefore these are ideal targets for in vitro manipulation. Researchers have been studying the biology of stem cells to find new ways of treating various diseases. They provide nearly limitless potential for medical applications due to having ability of producing multilineage cell types. Although early researches have focused on hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), these have also been found to be present in various other tissues. This chapter focuses on the stem cell technology and the potential of stem cells in treating various diseases. Also, the current researches and the clinical status of treatments based on stem cells are discussed.