Published online by Cambridge University Press: 19 November 2007
Adult stem cells have become the focus of intense research in recent years as a result of their role in the maintenance and repair of tissues. They exert this function through their extensive expansion (self-renewal) and multipotent differentiation capacity. Understanding whether adult stem cells retain this capacity throughout the lifespan of the individual, or undergo a process of ageing resulting in a decreased stem cell pool, is an important area of investigation. Progress in this area has been hampered by lack of suitable models and of appropriate markers and assays to identify stem cells. However, recent data suggest that an understanding of the mechanisms governing stem cell ageing can give insight into the mechanism of tissue ageing and, most importantly, advance our ability to use stem cells in cell and gene therapy strategies.
The International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) website has excellent links on stem cells:
Abcam, Miltenyi Biotech, Stem Cell Technologies and BD Biosciences have antibody and specialised reagents for the isolation and culture of murine and human stem cells:
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