The All-Rounders of Cellular Biology

Every part of your body has a specific function. Everything has a purpose, from each tissue and organ to every little cell that composes them.

All of the cells in your body are specialised, meaning they have a specific function and are designed in a way that allows them to best execute their job. For example, neurons carry electrical signals across the body in very short periods of time. Hence, they are very long in shape and branch out at the ends in order to connect to other neurons and form long chains. This specific design allows these cells to execute their roles as efficiently as possible.

However, there is an exception. Stem cells are the only cell type that is not specialised and have no one purpose. Also known as the body’s “raw materials”, stem cells are the root or original structure from which other cells are derived and differentiated into their own specialised functions. This means, when a stem cell undergoes the process of cell differentiation, it becomes a specific specialised cell, be it a muscle cell, neuron, or blood cell. These cells can adapt to any position, role, or function, and can be or do anything. This is a huge asset to the body’s defence system, especially since when there’s an injury or disease, local stem cells are mobilised and undergo cell differentiation in order to aid in the repair process. Simply put, stem cells act as reserves for all the other cell types the body has.

Once cells differentiate and become specialised, the process is irreversible, and they will continue to carry out that one particular function. But stem cells act more like a safety net and repair system for the body, moulding themselves to fit particular roles to best accomplish the required task. Thus, when a stem cell becomes a specialised cell, it switches from one pattern of gene expression to another. This process drastically changes the cell’s characteristics and features, including size, shape, and energy requirements, and, in addition to signals from the environment, occurs through the activation and suppression of specific genes in a cell’s code.

The excitement around the possibilities with these cells is mostly due to the fact that they could help shed light on many significant areas of research, including the causes of certain birth defects and cancers. Doctors and researchers hope that this could eventually lead to the development of specialised cells and tissues to be implanted into patients suffering from serious diseases as a form of treatment. This therapy, also known as regenerative medicine, could help patients restore and repair damaged tissues and organs and could aid people suffering from anything from severe burns or osteoarthritis to Parkinson's. Furthermore, stem cells also provide scope for researchers to safely and ethically test new drug therapies and monitor their effects.

In summation, the flexibility and adaptability of stem cells have proven to be a huge asset to the world of medicine and provide much hope for future treatments.

By Asha Kaikini

Works Cited

“Cellular Differentiation.” Wikipedia, 3 Sept. 2023, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cellular_differentiation#:~:text=Cell%20differentiation%20is%20thus%20a. Accessed 6 Sept. 2023.

Mayo Clinic. “Frequently Asked Questions about Stem Cell Research.” Mayo Clinic, 8 June 2019, www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/bone-marrow-transplant/in-depth/stem-cells/art-20048117#:~:text=Stem%20cell%20therapy%2C%20also%20known.

---. “Frequently Asked Questions about Stem Cell Research.” Mayo Clinic, 8 June 2019, www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/bone-marrow-transplant/in-depth/stem-cells/art-20048117#:~:text=Stem%20cell%20therapy%2C%20also%20known.

“Stem Cell Differentiation: Explained.” Www.dvcstem.com, www.dvcstem.com/post/stem-cell-differentiation#:~:text=It%20occurs%20by%20differential%20activation. Accessed 6 Sept. 2023.

“Stem Cells.” Medlineplus.gov, medlineplus.gov/stemcells.html#:~:text=Teenagers-.