[Therapeutic implications of the differentiation of adult stem cells into other cell types]

During last years stem cells have generated a great interest because its potential therapeutic use. These are unspecialised cells, with ability to self-renewal and to differentiate into other cell types, being embryo cells totipotent and of restrictive use for ethical reasons, while adult stem cells are multipotent and of potential clinical use . Between the latter the best studied are the cells of the bone marrow: hematopoietic producing blood cell lines and mesenchymal that may be transformed into hepatocytes, chondrocytes, osteocytes, adipocytes, cardiocytes and neural cells. Although these facts are promising many studies must be done until to get stem cells therapies, as well as verify these treatments in animal models. It is believed that in this century besides traditional therapies we will have to take into account cell therapies with stem cells, in whose development will be very important the scientific, clinical and ethical parameters.