STEM CELLS

Stem cells are cells that have the potential to develop into many different cell types during early developmental stages and growth. When the stem cell divides, it can remain a stem cell or develop into another cell such as muscle, bone, blood cells, etc. Stem cells are important in the repair of tissues.
Three characteristics of stem cells:

•  They are capable of dividing and renewing themselves for long periods.
•  They are unspecialized.
• They can give rise to specialized cell types.

When unspecialized stem cells give rise to specialized cells, the process is called differentiation.

There are two types of stem cells.

• Embryonic stem cells
• Non-embryonic stem cells (somatic or adult stem cells)

Adult stem cells typically generate the cell types of the tissue in which they reside. For example, a blood-forming adult stem cell in the bone marrow normally gives rise to the many types of blood cells. 

Some specialized adult cells can be reprogrammed to become stem cells under certain conditions. These cells are called induced pluripotent stem cells.

Stem cells offer new potentials for treating diseases such as diabetes and heart diseases. Using stem cells to treat diseases is known as cell-based therapy or regenerative or reparative medicine.

Check out this link: Glossary on stem cell information.