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Stem cells

A stem cell is an unspecialised cell with a remarkable ability to divide over and over and become differentiated into another type of cell, replacing damaged body tissue.

There are two tyes of stem cell used in the laboratory -

• embryonic stem cells - cells taken from embryos and which can differentiate into a number of different types of cell
• adult stem cells - a cell which is taken from adult tissue and which can differentiate into a cell type similar to that from which it was taken