Question

How can stem cells be used to treat disease?

Answer 1

They can be used to replace damaged cells, produce insulin, cells that can repair damage or replace tissue or organs.

Explanation:

Stem cells are a powerful tool for treating a wide range of diseases. They can also be used to help us study and understand disease so we can treat them without even needing to transplant cells.

For example,

• replace neurons damaged by spinal cord injury, stroke, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease or other neurological problems;

• produce insulin that could treat people with diabetes and heart muscle cells that could repair damage after a heart attack;

• or replace virtually any tissue or organ that is injured or diseased.

But embryonic stem cell-based therapies can do much more.

• Studying how stem cells develop into heart muscle cells could provide clues about how we could induce heart muscle to repair itself after a heart attack.

• The cells could be used to study disease, identify new drugs, or screen drugs for toxic side effects.

Any of these would have a significant impact on human health without transplanting a single cell.