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Stem Cell Analysis
Stem cells may be defined as 'undifferentiated cells whose daughter cells have the potential to differentiate into other cell types'. Stem cells have been identified in many adult tissues including the haematopoietic system, neural system, cardiovascular system, breast, skin, prostate and pancreas. Adult stem cell are said to be multipotent in that they can, under the right conditions, give rise to several cell types. Embryonic stem cells, however, are termed totipotent in that they can give rise to every cell type in the organism. Stem cells are: - Rare
- Have specific niches
- Have extensive proliferative capacity
- Have the ability to self-renew
- Have a clonal, multilineage differentiation capacity
- Are capable of engraftment and functional restoration in vivo.
We are interested in stem cells because they are potential targets for therapeutic intervention and prevention of diseases such as cancer. It is possible to use a variety of flow cytometric strategies to identify and isolate stem cells and those in use in our Laboratory are based on: the ability of stem cells to efflux certain dyes notably Hoechst 33342; their antigen expression; their cell cycle status and their functionality. More about the specific techniques can be found by clicking on the relevant link.
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