Uses of Stem Cells
Science: KS3, topic 1.1.18
Uses of Stem Cells
Stem cells can be used for many different medical, scientific and commercial purposes.
Stem cell treatments
- Stem cells may be able to replace damaged cells in the body.
- For example, stem cells may replace the damaged cells that cause diabetes or paralysis.
Plant clones
- Plant stem cells can be used to quickly and cheaply produce cloned plants.
- Producing cloned plants could help to protect rare plant species from extinction and create large populations of plants with special features, such as disease resistance.
Therapeutic cloning
- Therapeutic cloning is a process that produces (creates) an embryo with the same genes as the patient.
- Stem cells taken from this embryo will have the same DNA as the patient.
- Having the same DNA means that the patient's body will not reject the stem cells or body cells made from the embryo's stem cells.
- Therapeutic cloning is ideal for use in stem cell medical treatments.
Test yourself on Uses of Stem Cells
How could stem cells be used to help treat diabetes or paralysis?
Stem cells are used in cloning. Why must we use stem cells, rather than normals cells, to clone an animal?
Therapeutic Cloning
What would most likely happen if stem cells used in a patient's treatment came from someone with different DNA to the patient?