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Totipotent stem cells like the ones present in the morula, can produce any type of
cell, including the ones of the embryonic appendages. |
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Pluripotent stem cells (embryonic cells, foetal cells, amniotic liquid cells, some
populations of cord cells, IPs cells) can differentiate into all types of cells that we
find in an adult human, but not into cells that make up extra-embryonic tissue. |
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Multipotent stem cells (cord cells, marrow cells, cells from peripheral blood and
tissue-specific cells such as epithelial cells and adipose cells) can only differentiate
into some types of cells. |
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Unipotent stem cells can only produce one type of specialised cells.
Stem cells are also classified according to origin such as somatic or embryonic. |
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Somatic stem cells are non-specialised cells that can be found among specialised
cells of a specific tissue and are mainly multipotent. These are currently used to cure
more than seventy illnesses and pathologies. |
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Embryonic stem cells . |
Stem cells from umbilical cords are classified as somatic, although they have pluripotent
cell populations and it would be more correct to identify them as neonatal or
extra-embryonic progenitor cells.
To the contrary of embryonic cells, they do not provoke ethical or religious problems. |
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