Stem cells are considered to be the future of research according to many people because its capabilities are boundless and there is still a lot to learn about them. I am a person who believes that more research is needed on stem cells. I decided that I should perform some research on stem cells. As a high school student, I believed that it would not be very difficult to research stem cells. However, I was mistaken. Stem cells are some of the most complex cells to research and they are extremely hard to obtain.
General Information
Stem cells are cells that have the ability to turn into any cell in the human body. These cells are the first cells that a human being has when developing as a fetus. As a person ages, the number of stem cells a person has decreases. Stem cells are cells that can differentiate into different types of cells. When humans are first born, they have embryonic stem cells that can turn into every type of cell. Stem Cells can also self-renew, which means that they can divide indefinitely given the proper growth environment. There are many different types of stem cells: Hematopoietic Stem Cells (HSCs), Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs), Neural Stem Cells (NSCs), Epithelial Stem Cells (ESCs), Skin Stem Cells (SSCs), Embryonic Stem Cells (ESCs), and Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (IPSCs). Each of these cells have different characteristics and they need different growth environments (University of Nebraska Medical Center, 2018). In this study, I will use Human Induced Pluripotent Stem cells.
Hematopoietic Stem Cells are “are multipotent primitive cells that can develop into all types of blood cells, including myeloid-lineage and lymphoid-lineage cells. HSCs can be found in several organs, such as peripheral blood (PB), bone marrow (BM), and umbilical cord blood (UCB)” (Lee & Hong, 2019). Second, Mesenchymal Stem Cells are “stromal cells that have the ability to self-renew and also exhibit multilineage differentiation. MSCs can be isolated from a variety of tissues, such as umbilical cord, endometrial polyps, menses blood, bone marrow, adipose tissue, etc” (Ding et al., 2011). Third, Neural Stem Cells are nerve cells that can turn into any nerve cell. When a baby develops in the uterus, the neural stem cells are responsible for making the entire nervous system. Epithelial Stem Cells are cells that create skin cells that are a part of the epidermis (Yang et al., 2019). The epidermis is the first layer of the skin. Skin Stem Cells are capable of turning into skin cells. These cells are very common and are often used by the human body to heal after an injury. Embryonic Stem Cells are cells that are typically found when a baby is just beginning to develop. ESCs are found in the human blastocyst, which is a term for a group of cells typically 50-150 cells and these cells are responsible for the development of the three embryonic tissue layers. These cells have the ability to replicate endlessly given the proper conditions, and they can also differentiate into other cells. Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells are cells that “normally only exist[s] during early embryonic development. What makes pluripotent stem cells so potent is their ability to form all three of the basic body layers (ectoderm/endoderm/mesoderm) and even germ cells” (Boston Children’s Hospital, n.d). The ectoderm is what forms the skin and the nervous system. The endoderm forms the digestive and respiratory organs. The Mesoderm is the layer in which “bone, cartilage, blood and blood vessels, muscle, heart, and kidney” tissues are developed. To grow humans need certain environments to be within proper parameters. Stem Cells are also the same, and they also need specific parameters to survive and thrive.
Stem Cell Research
The most important thing to have when researching stem cells is a mentor who has experience with stem cells. Getting a mentor for a research project dealing with stem cells is very difficult because most often the mentors are colleges professors and doctorate holders. For most people, including myself, obtaining a mentor for stem cell research was extremely difficult. However, I managed to get a mentor who was willing to help me with stem cells. I actually had a meeting with her and learned a lot and spent some time in her lab.
In the lab, I saw and learned many things. I learned that stem cells take months to grow and must be differentiated into a specific type of stem cell. Also, it is very important to use the proper materials to grow stem cells. To grow stem cells, there are very specific machines that a person needs to have to grow. For example, the incubator must be 5% CO2 and 95% O2 for the stem cells to grow otherwise they will simply enter a dormant stage and will have to aroused. Though I have yet to actually perform my research idea, I have learned many different things. In later posts, I will explain how my stem cells research is going, but I will also publish my entire research paper once it is completely finished.
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