Dental: Stem and Progenitor Cells in Adults

Stem cells are undifferentiated cells that possess the capability of differentiating into a specialized type of cell. Much interest has been focused on stem cell research because of the implications it has for repairing irreversible damage caused by disease processes that affect tissues that do not possess a self-repair mechanism and are thus subject to permanent damage in the instance of environmental stresses and disease processes. Both stem cells and their daughter counterparts, progenitor cells, play a role in repair mechanisms throughout the body for tissues that are able to repair themselves. Progenitor cells are derived from the stem cell when the stem cell multiplies via mitosis. They possess a very limited capacity for regeneration but proliferate at a high rate, making them ideal for ...