Vnitr Lek 2005, 51(2):206-215

Stem cells: new promise in medicine

M. Klabusay^1,*, P. Dvořák², J. Mayer¹

¹ Interní hematoonkologická klinika LF MU a FN Brno, přednosta prof. MUDr. Jiří Vorlíček, CSc.

² Laboratoř molekulární embryologie Ústavu experimentální medicíny Akademie věd ČR, Brno, vedoucí doc. Ing. Petr Dvořák, CSc.

The stem cells - both embryonic and adult - attract the attention of scientific and medical community nowadays. They could become a key to the treatment of serious diseases, because of their ability of the long-term self-renewal and differentiation. Many scientists around the world pay attention to stem cells research. This article gives a brief overview of the state-of-the-art of our knowledge about the human stem cells. In the introduction, the definition of stem cells and their nomenclature are described. In the chapter about embryonic stem cells, historical background, proof of pluripotency, and potential therapeutical applications are summarized. In the chapter about adult stem cells, the definitions and classification, their detection in tissue, and the phenomenon of plasticity are mentioned. The description of major types of adult stem cells follows: neuronal, endothelial, muscle, epithelial, pancreatic and liver stem cells. Stem cells from bone marrow will be described in a separate article, because of their role in medicine and research. However, there are still more unanswered questions than available answers in the stem cell research.

Keywords: stem cells; cellular therapy; plasticity of stem cells

Received: December 29, 2003; Accepted: March 22, 2004; Published: February 1, 2005  Show citation