Stem cells are generally body cells that can make copies of themselves and are able to replace old and defective cells with new, healthy ones. There are different types of stem cells — embryonic, fetal, adult, or induced, which differ in their ability to develop. Some have the potential to produce an entire organism, but they are usually only individual tissues. The most important criteria that differentiate stem cells are origin and ability to develop — and there is a close connection between these properties — the younger a stem cell, the more capable it is to develop.

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After birth, the body contains adult stem cells, which only produce cells from a single organ. They are particularly common in heavily stressed organs that need to be regenerated almost daily — such as skin, intestines and bone marrow.

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So when we get burned or cut, the stem cells in the skin cause new skin cells to be formed to close and heal the wound. The cells of the intestinal mucosa are renewed and regenerated every four to five days by the stem cells located in them. Stem cells also regularly refresh the immune system by replacing blood cells with younger and fresher versions of themselves. In other organs, such as the heart, for example, the heart muscle cells are presumably dividing themselves. There are also no — or at least very few — adult stem cells in the pancreas.

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To ensure that the stem cell pool does not run out at some point, the all-rounders always make a copy of themselves to be on the safe side: They share to maintain the stem cell pool. Because without stem cells, we would look old pretty quickly and degrade significantly. Stem cells wait to be used in standby mode. As soon as they receive a signal, they become active and take on the role of defective cells to be replaced. Unfortunately, stem cells increasingly lose this ability over the course of life because they age with us. While a young body regenerates very quickly, this process slows down as you get older. In particular, hematopoietic stem cells are then less active and efficient, which also makes our immune system more vulnerable. Stem cell and aging researchers are therefore interested in maintaining the rejuvenating potential of stem cells for as long as possible.

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Fasting is a very effective method for this. True miracles could be achieved with it, at least with mice. Lowering the growth factor IGF-1 as a result of fasting and switching off the mTOR nutrient sensor are exactly the signals that trigger stem cells of various tissues to renew, regenerate and become active. However, fasting did not only rejuvenate the animals' organs and immune systems. In laboratory mice, it was also shown that paper fasting is a powerful tool to cure autoimmune diseases such as type 2 diabetes and multiple sclerosis. Studies are currently underway on this in humans, and we will be excited to see how effective note fasting will prove to be in treating such conditions.

Summary:

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Why are stem cells useful?

Stem cells have multiple uses, including:

Research - to understand the basic biological functioning of living organisms and the processes in various cell types during diseases.

Therapy — to replace lost or damaged cells that our bodies cannot replace naturally.

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Stem cell research

Research is striving to better understand the properties of stem cells so that we can:

· understand how our bodies grow and develop

· Find ways to use stem cells to replace damaged or lost cells or tissues.

· Using stem cells, we can study how cells specialize in specific functions in the body and what happens when this process goes wrong in diseases.

· If we understand stem cell development, we may be able to reproduce this process to create new cells, tissues, and organs.

· We can grow tissue and organ structures from stem cells, which can then be examined to find out how they work and how they are affected by various drugs.

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Stem cell therapy

· Cells, tissues, and organs can sometimes be permanently damaged or lost as a result of diseases, injuries, and genetic conditions.

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· Stem cells can be a way to create new cells, which can then be transplanted into the body to replace the damaged or lost cells.

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· Adult stem cells are currently being used to treat some diseases, for example:
Blood stem cells are used to provide a source of healthy blood cells for people with certain blood disorders, such as thalassemia and cancer patients who have lost their own blood stem cells during treatment.
Skin stem cells can be used to create new skin for people with severe burns.

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· Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is an example of a disease in which stem cells could be used as a new form of treatment in the future:
Some people with age-related macular degeneration lose their eyesight because cells in the retina of the eye called retinal pigment epithelial cells (RPE) no longer function.
Scientists use induced pluripotent stem cells to produce new RPE cells in the laboratory, which can then be inserted into a patient's eye to replace the damaged cells.

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· Stem cells could be used to generate new organs for transplants:
Currently, damaged organs can be replaced by healthy organs from a donor, but donated organs can be “rejected” by the body because the immune system regards them as something foreign.
With induced pluripotent stem cells derived from patients themselves, new organs could be grown that have a lower risk of rejection.