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Related Concept Videos

Embryonic Stem Cells00:58

Embryonic Stem Cells

Embryonic stem (ES) cells are undifferentiated pluripotent cells, meaning they can produce any cell type in the body. This gives them tremendous potential in science and medicine since they can generate specific cell types for use in research or to replace body cells lost due to damage or disease.
Embryonic Stem Cells00:57

Embryonic Stem Cells

Embryonic stem (ES) cells were first discovered in mice in 1981 by Martin Evans. In 1998, James Thomson identified a method to isolate embryonic stem cells from humans. Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) are obtained from 3-5 day old embryos that remain unused after an in vitro fertilization procedure.
ES cells are grown in a culture medium where they can divide indefinitely, creating ES cell lines. Under certain conditions, ES cells can differentiate, either spontaneously into a variety of...
Zygotic Development And Stem Cell Formation01:10

Zygotic Development And Stem Cell Formation

The development of all multicellular organisms starts with the fusion of haploid cells called sperm and egg to form a diploid zygote. A zygote is a totipotent cell that can develop into a complete organism. The zygote undergoes cell division or cleavage to form an 8-cell mass. Until this stage, the cells are spherical, loosely attached, and remain totipotent. Totipotent cells are capable of developing both the embryonic and the extraembryonic tissues. However, as they continue to divide, they...
Stem Cell Culture01:17

Stem Cell Culture

Stem cell research aims to find ways to use stem cells to regenerate and repair cellular damage. Over time, most adult cells undergo the wear and tear of aging and lose their ability to divide and repair themselves. Stem cells do not display a particular morphology or function. Adult stem cells, which exist as a small subset of cells in most tissues, keep dividing and can differentiate into a number of specialized cells generally formed by that tissue. These cells enable the body to renew and...
Source And Potency Of Stem Cells01:27

Source And Potency Of Stem Cells

Stem cells are undifferentiated cells with extensive self-renewal properties that help them maintain their population during the fetal and adult stages of life. They can specialize in all cell types of the human body. However, their differential potential may vary and can be classified into five types. Stem cells can be (1) Totipotent, (2) Pluripotent, (3) Multipotent, (4) Oligopotent, and (5) Unipotent. Each stem cell has a specific origin; the fertilized egg or zygote is a totipotent cell and...
Adult Stem Cells01:33

Adult Stem Cells

Stem cells are undifferentiated cells that divide and produce more stem cells or progenitor cells that differentiate into mature, specialized cell types. All the cells in the body are generated from stem cells in the early embryo, but small populations of stem cells are also present in many adult tissues including the bone marrow, brain, skin, and gut. These adult stem cells typically produce the various cell types found in that tissue—to replace cells that are damaged or to continuously renew...

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In Vitro Model of Fetal Human Vessel On-chip to Study Developmental Mechanobiology
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Fetal stem cells: betwixt and between.

Pascale V Guillot1, Keelin O'Donoghue, Hitoshi Kurata

  • 1Experimental Fetal Medicine Group, Institute of Reproductive and Developmental Biology, Imperial College, London, United Kingdom. Pascale.Guillot@imperial.ac.uk

Seminars in Reproductive Medicine
|November 24, 2006
PubMed
Summary

Fetal stem cells from various sources, including amniotic fluid and placenta, show rapid proliferation and greater potential than adult stem cells. These findings highlight their promise for cell therapy and understanding pregnancy dynamics.

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Published on: November 27, 2017

Area of Science:

  • Stem cell biology
  • Developmental biology
  • Regenerative medicine

Background:

  • Fetal stem cells are obtainable from multiple gestational sources, including blood, organs, amniotic fluid, and placenta.
  • Fetal stem cells exhibit distinct properties compared to cord blood and adult bone marrow stem cells.
  • Mesenchymal stem cells from early gestation fetal sources display enhanced primitive characteristics and multipotentiality.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the isolation and characteristics of fetal stem cells from various gestational tissues.
  • To compare the proliferative capacity and multipotentiality of fetal stem cells with adult counterparts.
  • To explore the potential of fetal stem cells in cell therapy and their role in pregnancy.

Main Methods:

  • Isolation of stem cells from fetal blood, hemopoietic organs, somatic organs, amniotic fluid, and placenta.
  • Comparative analysis of stem cell proliferation rates using fetal blood versus cord blood and adult bone marrow.
  • Characterization of mesenchymal stem cells from first-trimester sources for primitive markers and multipotentiality.

Main Results:

  • Fetal stem cells can be successfully isolated throughout gestation from diverse sources.
  • Fetal blood stem cells demonstrate superior proliferation rates compared to cord blood and adult bone marrow.
  • Early-gestation fetal mesenchymal stem cells exhibit greater primitive characteristics and multipotentiality than adult mesenchymal stem cells.

Conclusions:

  • Fetal stem cells represent a promising intermediate cell type between adult and embryonic stem cells.
  • Their enhanced properties make them advantageous for future cell therapy applications.
  • Fetal stem cells play a role in fetomaternal trafficking and long-term microchimerism.