Life Science Dictionary13 terms

Stem Cell Biology Terms

Stem cell biology studies cells that can renew themselves and give rise to specialized cell types. These terms cover the levels of potency, from totipotent to multipotent, the main kinds of stem cells, the organoids grown from them, and their use in regenerative medicine.

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B

BlastocystDevelopmental BiologyA blastocyst is the hollow ball of cells that a mammalian embryo forms about five days after fertilization, shortly before it implants in the uterus.

C

Cell differentiationStem Cell BiologyCell differentiation is the process by which an unspecialized cell becomes a specialized type, such as a neuron or muscle cell, by switching on a set of genes.

E

Embryonic stem cellStem Cell BiologyAn embryonic stem cell is a pluripotent stem cell taken from the inner cell mass of an early embryo, the blastocyst, and able to form every type of body cell.

H

Hematopoietic stem cellStem Cell BiologyA hematopoietic stem cell is a multipotent stem cell, found mainly in the bone marrow, that renews itself and gives rise to every type of blood cell.

I

Induced pluripotent stem cellStem Cell BiologyAn induced pluripotent stem cell is an adult body cell, such as a skin cell, reprogrammed in the lab to be pluripotent, much like an embryonic stem cell.

M

O

OrganoidStem Cell BiologyAn organoid is a tiny, self-organizing, three-dimensional tissue grown from stem cells in the lab that mimics the structure and some functions of an organ.

P

PluripotencyStem Cell BiologyPluripotency is the ability of a cell to give rise to every cell type of the body, from all three germ layers, though not to a whole organism on its own.

R

Regenerative medicineStem Cell BiologyRegenerative medicine is the field that aims to repair or replace damaged cells, tissues and organs using cells, biomaterials and genes.

S

Stem cellStem Cell BiologyA stem cell is an unspecialized cell that can both copy itself by dividing and give rise to specialized cell types such as blood, muscle or nerve cells.

T

TotipotencyStem Cell BiologyTotipotency is the ability of a single cell to produce a whole organism, including the placenta and other tissues that lie outside the embryo.

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