Stem cells have gathered the attention of researchers around the world. Many scientists believe in the potential of stem cells in treating diseases previously considered incurable. Some of these diseases include paralysis and Alzheimer’s diseases.

The cells are considered regenerative medicine, which means they can repair, regrow or replace damaged or diseased cells. Hence, many people are opting to store these cells with stem cells banks.

Most cells in our body have a specific function. However, stem cells are undifferentiated, which means they can become any cells when required.

If the lifesaving stem cells have piqued your interest, this article could help you find a few answers about them. Let us discuss stem cells and their various types in detail.

Stem cells

Stem cells are special cells that can develop into different cell types under the right conditions in the body or a laboratory. Stem cells are the raw material for our body. They are the foundation of various organs and tissues.

Some cells only exist in the early stages of fetal development, and others may remain in the body throughout life. Hence, there are different types of stem cells.

The different types of Stem cells have a few common properties:

1. Self-renewal – stem cells have a unique property that enables them to make copies of themselves. Hence, the stem cells in your body can generate more stem cells with their self-renewal property.

2. Differentiation- stem cells can also develop into specialized cells like blood cells, bone cells, brain cells, or heart muscle cells.

Types of stem cells

Based on the source of their origin, stem cells can be differentiated into the following types.

1. Embryonic stem cells

Embryonic or fetal stem cells are cells from the inner cell mass of a blastocyst. A blastocyst is formed in three to five days after the egg is fertilized by a sperm. It contains about 150 -200 cells.

These cells are pluripotent, which means they can generate more stem cells or form any type of cells in the fully formed body. As the cells are obtained from human embryos, many people do not find it ethical to use embryonic stem cells in the treatment.

2. Adult stem cells

Adult stem cells, also called somatic cells, are found in limited numbers in adult tissues. These cells remain undifferentiated or non-specified until called upon by the body. The tissues and organs in the body, like the gut, skin, etc., contain small reservoirs of these cells. Stem cells help in replacing diseased cells due to injury or day-to-day working.

Adult cells are more specialized in comparison to tissue-specific stem cells. These cells can generate different cells for the specific organ in which they originated.

For example, stem cells in the bone marrow can form different types of blood cells like red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. However, they cannot generate other cells like brain cells.

For a long time, scientists believed that adult cells can only be converted into a specific type of cells. However, recent studies have shown that adult cells can be transformed into other cell types by reprogramming them in a laboratory. Such cells are called Induced pluripotent cells and act similar to embryonic stem cells.

3. Cord Blood Stem Cells

The blood that remains in the umbilical cord and placenta after childbirth is a rich source of stem cells. Due to lack of awareness, these cells were discarded as medical waste for a long time. However, they can help in the treatment of various diseases.

These cells are collected, processed, and cryogenically preserved for future transfusion. You can store the cord blood stem cells of your child with a private stem cells bank.

The bank preserves the stem cells and makes them available for medical emergencies. With an affordable cord blood bank at $19.99/month, banking the stem cells of your child is possible with manageable periodic payments.

Now that you are aware of stem cells and their various types, you can contact a stem cells bank to store the stem cells of your child.