Stem cells are the most primitive or unspecialized cells that have an extraordi-nary ability to grow rapidly and give rise to more specialized cells such as beating heart cells, skin cells displaying ciliary movements or pancreatic cells producing insulin. What is remarkable about them though, is that these rare categories of cells, which represent ‘pure blank states’ inside our body, have the capacity to divide and grow practically indefinitely over time. In nature, they reside in an early developing embryo or as discrete cells in adult organ systems, which undergo continuous re-plenishment.
展开▼
