Bladder: Stem and Progenitor Cells in Adults

The urinary bladder is a muscular sac in the pelvis, just above and behind the pubic bone. The bladder consists of a transitional epithelium and three layers of smooth muscle tissue. When the bladder is empty, it is about the size and shape of a medium-sized pear. The bladder’s primary purpose is to store urine, which is made in the kidneys and travels through the ureters to the bladder. The bladder essentially enables voluntary [Page 95]and infrequent urination. There exist a number of clinical applications in using stem cells to treat various bladder conditions. Researchers already use artificially grown skin tissue in surgery, and scientists are working on a variety of strategies to treat bladder dysfunction using stem cells. The goal is for clinicians to ...