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Stem Cell Glossary

Stem cells: Cells with the ability to divide, from which other types of cells can develop.

Bone marrow stromal cells: A stem cell in bone marrow that produces bone, cartilage, fat, and fibrous connective tissue.

Cell-based therapies: The therapy in which stem cells are induced to differentiate into the cell types that are necessary to repair damaged adult cell populations.

Differentiation: The process that an unspecialized early embryonic cell obtains the characteristics of a specialized cell such as a heart, spleen, or muscle cell.

Embryonic stem cells: Undifferentiated cells from the embryo with the potential to become various specialized cell types.

Embryonic stem cell line: Embryonic stem cells that have been cultured under in vitro conditions to allow proliferation without differentiation.

Hematopoietic stem cell: A stem cell from which red and white blood cells develop.

Mesenchymal stem cells: Cells from the immature embryonic connective tissue.

Neural stem cell: A stem cell found in adult neural tissue that can generate neurons, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes.

Somatic stem cells: Adult stem cells.

Stromal cells: Non-blood cells produced by blood organs, such as bone marrow or fetal liver, which can support blood cell growth in vitro.

 

Databases and Web Sources for Stem Cell Research

 

Category	Databases and Web Sources	Note
Databases	Stem Cell Database (SCDb)
	MPSS Stem Cell Database
Education	Stem Cell Research and Applications
	NIH Stem Cell Information
Organization	Stem Cell Research Foundation