Guide To Understanding Stem Cells

Sources Of Stem Cells

Several dependable sources of stem cells are utilized in medicine today. One of the most useful sources of stem cells discovered to date is those found in umbilical cord blood discarded as human waste. Blood stem cells or hematopoietic stem cells are abundant in umbilical cord blood and are easy to collect. Another source used when the umbilical cord blood is not accessible is stem cells in the bone marrow. This source of stem cells can be costly because it requires a procedure for the donor collection of the bone marrow, as well as for the individual receiving the stem cells. While the process of using stem cells taken from bone marrow is not easy or convenient, its benefits do outweigh its difficulties. The recent discovery of stem cells in human teeth has led to using the teeth as a source for specialized stem cells referred to as mesenchymal stem cells. Mesenchymal stem cells are not limited to what type of cell they can differentiate into and may give rise to any type of cell found in the body. The extraction process of stem cells from teeth is easy and the most cost-effective way to obtain mesenchymal stem cells.

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