Stem Cell Potency

Stem cells are undifferentiated biological cells found in multicellular organisms that can divide and differentiate into various specialized cell types. This ability to differentiate into various cell types is called cell potency. The word potency itself comes from the Latin word potens, which means having power. As it relates to stem cells, potency specifies the differentiation power or potential of a cell. Therefore, the more cell types a cell can differentiate into then the stronger its potency. Potency is an important characteristic of stem cells and this property is being studied for application in stem cell-based therapies. Stem cell potency varies from totipotency to unipotency.

The various grades are as follows

• Totipotency
• Pluripotency
• Multipotency
• Oligopotency
• Unipotency

Potency decreases along the line of development, which means the zygote is the totipotent cell from ...