BRAINCAKEStem Cells in Treating Disease
Stem cells can divide and differentiate, so they can be used to replace cells that are damaged or missing. You need to be able to evaluate the use of stem cells in treating human disorders.
Current treatment: bone marrow transplants
Bone marrow contains multipotent stem cells that produce blood cells. A transplant can treat diseases of the blood and immune system, such as leukaemia, sickle cell anaemia and severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID). The patient's own bone marrow is destroyed, then stem cells from a matching donor are put into the blood. They settle in the bone marrow and produce healthy blood cells.
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Key terms in this lesson
- multipotent
- Describes a stem cell, found in mature mammals, that can divide and differentiate into a limited number of cell types, usually within one tissue.
- insulin
- A hormone secreted by the beta cells of the islets of Langerhans in response to a rise in blood glucose concentration, which lowers blood glucose by stimulating cells to take up and use or store glucose.
More in Control of Gene Expression
- Totipotent Stem Cells
- Pluripotent, Multipotent and Unipotent Stem Cells
- Stem Cells in Mature Plants
- Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells
- Transcription Factors
- Oestrogen and the Initiation of Transcription
- RNA Interference (siRNA and miRNA)
- Epigenetics
All 18 lessons in Control of Gene Expression · All AQA A-level Biology topics