"Stem cells are undifferentiated cells found in the human body that have the potential to self-renew and develop into many different cell types that carry out different functions and, therefore, are multipotent source of multiple cell lineages. While such cells are essential for development and growth through childhood, pools of adult stem cells are hypothesized to be the source of the often somewhat limited tissue regeneration and repair in adults. Stem cells are defined as cells with the ability both to self-renew to preserve the stem cell pool
and to differentiate into specialized cells, in response to appropriate signals. Due to their self-renewal capacity and pluripotency, stem cells are essential players during development, tissue repair and regeneration after injury, and healthy homeostatic cell turnover. Therefore, stem cells are a critical driving force for fast-growing fields of regenerative medicine and functional tissue engineering.
(Ahmed HK El-Hashash- Lung Stem/Progenitor Cells: Regulatory Mechanisms of Behavior, Development and Regeneration)."
Last date updated on February, 2025