Stem Cell Glossary

ABO — Cell recognition proteins found on the outside of red blood cells. The “A” and “B” proteins, along with the rH protein, constitute the basic blood typing system. Umbilical Cord Stem Cells are usually given to ABO-matched recipients. See HLA Proteins.

Adult Stem Cells — stem cells taken from differentiated or mature tissues, as opposed to fetal or embryonic tissues. Adult stem cells may be taken from adults, or children. Adult stem cells express cell recognition proteins, such as ABO, rH and HLA, and thus are recognized as “foreign tissues” when transplanted into someone other than the donor. Foreign tissues stimulate a rejection response in the recipient. Umbilical cord stem cells technically might be termed adult stem cells, but since they do not trigger an immune response, they are considered in a separate category. Adult stem cells can be useful as “autotransplants”, or tissue donated to oneself, after a heart attack or cancer treatment, for example.

ALS — Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a degenerative condition of the brain. ALS has been successfully treated with neural stem cells, which improve function and slow down or stop the process of the disease.

Antibody — A protein, manufactured by the cells of the immune system (human or other animal), which identifies and attaches to another specific protein. Antibodies are used by the body to identify self or non-self proteins. Antibodies are used in research to identify the characteristic proteins on the outside of cells, thus revealing the cell type. Antibodies may be tagged with fluorescent or magnetic markers, which allow the identifying proteins to be visualized, or the cells with those proteins to be magnetically separated.

Blastocyst — The embryo as a ball of cells, formed at 12 days of age. The inner cell mass consists of stem cells, and goes on to form the fetus. The outer sphere, or trophoblast, becomes the placenta and amniotic sac.

Big Pharma — The giant pharmaceutical corporations of the world, who seek to control all access to health, and to limit the use of healing practices that they do not control.

Blood-borne Diseases — infectious diseases which can be transmitted by exposure to infected blood. Some of these types of diseases are HIV/AIDS, hepatitis B and C, cytomegalovirus, Syphilis, etc. These are infectious, not inherited diseases. StemTech Labs checks all donated blood and tissues for blood borne illnesses at a US lab.

Blood-Brain Barrier — a functional barrier between the circulatory system and the spinal fluid that bathes and nourishes the brain. This barrier prevents passage of many toxic substances into the brain. It may be a barrier to migration of stem cells from the bloodstream into the brain, but some studies have demonstrated the passage of neuronal stem cells through the blood brain barrier. Some stem cell therapist use the sugar mannitol to make the blood brain barrier more permeable and help the stem cells to cross into the brain. See Intrathecal.

Blood Type — the major blood types identify the presence or absence of three proteins on the outside of blood cells. These proteins are called “A”, “B”, and “Rh”. Although it has not been demonstrated to be necessary, umbilical cord blood transfusions are generally matched according to ABO and Rh blood type.

Bone Marrow — the reddish substance found in the central canals of many bones. Bone marrow functions to produce blood cells. Bone marrow is often damaged by chemotherapy or radiotherapy in cancer treatment, and can be reconstituted by transplanting bone marrow or umbilical cord blood cells.

Clinical — used in medical practice, as opposed to just in research. Clinical trials are trials of the actual use of a therapy in people, rather than in a test tube.

Cell Characterization — identification of cells as those of a particular type, such as mesenchymal stem cells, muscle cells, blood cell precursors, etc. Since most stem cells and cell precursors look the same under the microscope, characterization of stem cells usually calls for the use of specialized molecular probes and sophisticated instruments, like a flow cytometer.

Cell Culture — Growing the cells in an artificial environment, to allow them to multiply and increase their numbers.

Centrifuge — a device which spins at a high rate of speed, causing centrifugal force to be exerted on objects placed in it. A centrifuge is often used to separate stem cell-containing layers from other cells.

Cord blood — Umbilical cord blood.

Cord Blood Stem Cells — Umbilical Cord Blood Stem Cells

Cryogenics — Extreme cold. Cells may be frozen by special techniques, and kept at extremely cold temperatures until needed. They are then thawed out and injected or infused.

Cytokines — chemical cellular mediators which initiate an action in another cell. This might be a call for a certain cell type to migrate to a certain area, to differentiate, or to change in some way. See Growth Factors.

Cytometry — Cell measurement.

Differentiate — Change in structure and function from a stem cell, or other cell precursor, into a more specialized cell. For example, neural precursor cells differentiate into neurons (nerve cells), as well as the support cells called Glia and Oligodendrocytes.

Donor — The person or animal which gives tissue or cells for transplantation or research.

Ectoderm — The outer layer of an embryo, which develops into the skin and nervous system.

Embryo — The early stage of formation of an animal. In a human, this lasts from fertilization of the egg, until 8 weeks, when the embryo is called a fetus. An embryo forms from three layers of cells: The inner layer, or endoderm, the middle layer, or mesoderm, and the outer layer, or ectoderm.

Embryonic Stem Cells — Stem cells produced by embryos. Human embryos are the source of human embryonic stem cells. Most stem cell research focuses on embryonic stem cells, as they are multipotent, and the most primitive of the stem cells. They may be able to answer many questions about stem cells. Processing them is more difficult than other stem cells, and more likely to produce patentable products and treatments. But embryonic stem cells do have a major drawback—they cause tumor formation, especially teratomas. As a result, they cannot be used for transplantation. At the University of Wisconsin Stem Cell Research lab, skin cells have been converted into embryonic stem cell-like cells, and much media hype celebrates this discovery, as embryos do not have to be destroyed in order to create these cells. However, these are not normal embryonic cells, as they have four extra genes implanted into them, and it is very unlikely that a clinically useful stem cell product will be forthcoming from theses cells.

Endoderm — The middle layer of an embryo, which develops into the liver, intestines and digestive organs.

Enzyme — A protein molecule which assists in a change in another molecule or molecules. Enzymes are like catalysts, in that they cause a reaction to occur at a higher rate, without becoming used up in the reaction. Enzymes are used in most, but not all, chemical reactions in life. Some enzymes are used in stem cell processing to release stem cells from their culture containers, or to release them from the tissues in which they are found.

Expansion — Increasing the numbers of a particular line of stem cells by growing them out in cell culture. Expansion allows the administration of increased numbers of cells, thus increasing the probability that the stem cells will successfully repair the lesions in the body.

FDA — Food and Drug Administration, a federal agency of the United States government. Charged with protecting the public from adulterated food and dangerous drugs, this agency has transmogrified into a front for the big pharmaceutical corporations. Through a “revolving door” system, FDA researchers and lawyers tend to leave the agency for better paying jobs in industry. Rather than protect the public against dangerous drugs, FDA employees approve drugs whenever possible, thus preserving their chances at a more lucrative job with industry. They also have restricted use of natural, unpatentable therapies, in favor of synthetic, patentable therapies profitable to Big Pharma.

Fetal Stem Cells — Stem cells processed from aborted human fetuses. These usually are of two types, “somatic” stem cells, from the liver of the fetus, and “neuronal” stem cells, from the fetal brain.

Fetus — The later stage in development of an unborn animal, when the developing embryo becomes recognizable as it will look when it is born, or hatched. From 8 weeks of gestation to birth in humans.

Flow Cytometry — Counting and measurement of cells as they flow past a laser light. The amount and direction of reflection of light from a laser, and the activation of fluorescent dyes tagging the cell, are detected as the cell moves by in a stream of fluid. This is the primary means of identifying, characterizing, and counting different cell types.

Fluorescent — Glowing under ultraviolet (UV) light. Fluorescent dyes are used to mark specific proteins that identify or characterize cell types.

Fluorescent Marking — Marking the specific proteins on the outside of a cell with antibodies tagged with a fluorescent dye. This dye will glow in a characteristic color when exposed to ultraviolet light, causing the marked protein to show up as a colored spot. Fluorescent marking is one of the common tools used in characterization of cells.

Graft vs. Host disease, or GVH — A problem which develops when the immune system cells in transplanted bone marrow attack the tissues of the recipient. This is much less of a problem when the bone marrow is replaced with umbilical cord stem cells.

Genetic — Having to do with inherited traits, or the DNA and chromosomes on which they are inherited. Stem cells can cure genetic disorders by replacing cells with abnormal genes with cells that have normal genes. See Inborn Errors of Metabolism

Genes — the packets of DNA which encode inherited traits.

Glial Cells — small support cells that surround the neurons in the brain. These support cells are necessary for normal brain function, and are one of the three cell types produced by neuronal stem cells.

Growth Factors — Chemicals produced by other cells which cause the target cells to develop some characteristic, to grow, to multiply, or to differentiate. Growth factors are used in cell cultures to cause cells to grow but remain multipotent, or to differentiate into a specific cell precursor or cell type.

HLA — Human Leukocyte Antigens, these are identification proteins found on the outside of cells, including white blood cells, that allow the immune system to recognize tissues as “self” or “non-self”. HLA proteins are responsible for rejection of transplanted organs, as well as for ejection of splinters and other foreign materials from the body. HLA typing is thus extremely important in transplantation of most organs or tissues. Bone marrow replacement with HLA-matched umbilical cord blood stem cells is recommended to prevent graft vs host disease in the recipient, but HLA-unmatched transplantation of umbilical cord stem cells in persons with an intact immune system does not trigger a rejection response, unlike other cells or tissues. This is a major reason that umbilical cord stem cells are preferable to adult stem cells.

Hematopoetic — Blood Forming. Most of the research on Umbilical Cord Stem Cells has been on the hematopoetic stem cells found among them. Because these are the cells important in reconstituting blood marrow after chemotherapy and radiotherapy, and because there is lots of money for cancer research, these cells were extensively studied, long before the current wave in stem cell research.

Inborn Errors of Metabolism — the genetic absence or malformation of a certain gene, or the protein that it encodes, which causes a baby to be born without the ability to process, or metabolize, certain compounds. This kind of genetic error is not enough to cause the death of the fetus, as the mother has been able to process the compounds as long as her blood has been handling the waste in the fetal blood. But after birth, the precursor compounds to that chemical step build up in the body. The build up of these compounds causes a variety of problems, from swollen liver to blindness to death in a few months. Some of these disorders are tested at birth, for example PKU, the inability to process the amino acid phenylalanine, and Maple Sugar Urine disease, common in the Amish and Mennonite communities. These disorders can often be easily cured by administration of liver stem cells, which differentiate into normal liver cells, and take over the processing of the built-up metabolic byproducts.

Infusion — To administer into the body by injecting into the bloodstream, usually into a vein. Stem cells may be infused into the bloodstream to allow them access to most parts of the body.

Injection — Administering a substance inside of the body, by means of a syringe and hypodermic (“under skin”) needle. Stem cells may be injected into specific sites, or injected under the skin to allow them to migrate elsewhere.

Intrathecal — Inside of the spinal canal, or inside of the skull, but outside the brain, in the spinal fluid. Intrathecal injection of neuronal stem cells, placing them directly into the spinal fluid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord, is one possible route of administering them, to allow them to access spinal cord and brain lesions. Spinal puncture is the usual route for intrathecal injections.

Lesions — Wounds, or structural abnormalities. A cut is a lesion, as is an area of dead heart cells from a heart attack, or worn cartilage from arthritis. Stem cells appear to seek out and repair various lesions. A genetic defect could also be considered a “genetic lesion”, and these are often easily repaired with stem cell therapy.

Ligands — Proteins or other molecules found on the outside of cells which identify the cell type. Stem cells and other fetal cells have the ability to migrate around the body and find certain cell types. A system of ligands allow injected fetal lung cells to find adult lung cells, for example, and stimulate them to repair the lung tissue. Ligands actually refer to loose bonds formed between these proteins, or between other molecules.

Live Cell Therapy — A therapy used since the 1920s in Europe and other countries, wherein cells from specific fetal animal organs (usually lamb cells) are injected into humans. These cells migrate into the recipient’s tissues, and stimulate them to repair or to function better. Sometimes, these animal cells continue to live in the recipient’s tissues. Sometimes, they fuse with the recipient’s cells to form a hybrid cell. Most of the time, the cells are rejected by the body and die, after stimulating repair and improved function of the target tissue.

Macular Degeneration — deterioration in the macula, which is the spot on the retina at the back of the eye, with the highest visual resolution, or the highest concentration of vision cells. Macular degeneration is generally associated with aging and often with arteriosclerosis. Some cases of macular degeneration have been helped by injecting neural stem cells, through a catheter, into the central retinal artery, which goes down the optic nerve into the eye.

Magnetic Marking — A means of characterizing cells, magnetic marking involves attaching microscopic magnetic particles to target proteins on the cell surface, using antibodies developed against the target proteins. Once tagged with the magnetic particles, the marked cells can be removed from a suspension of cells by using a magnet.

Mesenchyme — A primitive material found in the developing embryo, which develops from the mesoderm and contributes to the formation of the skeleton, blood and muscles.

Mesenchymal Stem Cells — Multipotent stem cells found in umbilical cord tissues, as well as in bone marrow and fat. Mesenchymal stem cells are capable of differentiating into cells from all three layers of the embryo. They are known to spontaneously differentiate into bone, fat, joints and cartilage, (mesoderm), and nerve cells (ectoderm), as well as liver, pancreas and kidney cells (endoderm). Mesenchymal cells are also easy to grow in cell culture, so make a powerful tool to rebuild the body.

Mesoderm — The middle layer of an embryo, which develops into the skeleton, bones, muscles, connective tissues and blood.

Morphogenetic Field — The electromagnetic field surrounding and interpenetrating the body, which carries the blueprint that cells follow to create the body. More specific than DNA, the morphogenetic field interacts with cellular DNA to stimulate the creation of body structures. It appears that ORMUS increases stem cell ability to repair body structures and follow the morphogenetic field.

Multiple Sclerosis — or MS, is a disease of the central nervous system (CNS), wherein the nerve fibers lose the “insulation” or myelin sheath surrounding them, causing diminished transmission of nerve impulses, and diminished function of the brain and spinal cord. This degenerative process seems to be caused by the immune system attacking the nerve tissue, and may be related to hidden or latent infections with viruses such as measles, poliomyelitis, and human herpesvirus type 6. Transplantation of umbilical cord blood stem cells has regulated the immune system attack on the CNS, and neuronal stem cells have repaired much of the damage, giving increased function to MS patients.

Multipotent — Capable of differentiating into most cell types.

Neonate — Newborn. Neonatal, adj.

Neurons — Nerve cells, in particular, cells of the brain or peripheral nervous system which pass signals along to other neurons.

Neurogenic — Capable of generating neurons. Neuronal precursors or neuronal stem cells. Also means coming from or caused by the nervous system.

Neuronal Stem Cells — Stem cells that are precursors for brain or nerve cells. They may be harvested from fetal brains, or produced by differentiation of more primitive precursors. Neuronal stem cells often differentiate into a mixture of neurons, and glial cells and oligodendrocytes, the neuron’s support cells.

Olfactory Stem Cells — An unusual source of nerve stem cells has been found in the nose, where the sensors for smell reside. Apparently, these exposed nerve cells are constantly being repaired, so they come with their own supply of stem cells. Dr. Lima of Portugal has tried transplanting the patch of olfactory cells in the nose into damaged spinal cord lesions, often with profound success. It is likely that injecting neural stem cells into the spinal cord lesions will be as effective, without need for surgery or sacrifice of the sense of smell!

Oligodendrocytes — Specialized cells of the central nervous system that support the function of the neurons, these cells have many branch-like dendrons that reach out and support the fibers coming out of the neurons. Oligodendrocytes are one of the three cells formed when neuronal precursor cells differentiate.

ORMUS — A unique form of matter which seems related to life energies. Ormus or ormes appear to be di-atomic (2 atoms) forms of metallic elements, especially in the platinum group, but including precious metals such as silver and copper. Ormus appears to increase the healing abilities of the body, and to increase the ability of the stem cells to follow the morphogenetic field. www.subtleenergies.com/ormus

Placenta — the purplish organ that exchanges nutrients, oxygen, and wastes from the blood of the mother to the blood of the fetus. The Placenta contains many stem cells, in its blood and its tissues. It is usually discarded as medical waste following the birth of the baby. Also called “afterbirth”, as it is delivered after the baby is born.

Pluripotent — Capable of differentiating into many cell types. For example, a cell capable of turning into bone, fat, tendon, cartilage and ligament cells, but not into brain cells or liver cells, might be considered Pluripotent.

Precursor — A cell capable of differentiating into another cell type. For example, a hepatic/pancreatic cell precursor is capable of differentiating into liver cells of several types, pancreatic cells that secrete digestive juices, and pancreatic cells that produce insulin. A stem cell is a precursor to other cell types.

Primitive — A term describing a cell that is less specialized, and more capable of differentiation into other cell types.

Protein — A large, complex molecule made up of amino acids in chains. The structures of proteins are encoded by DNA, and the proteins are manufactured, according to the DNA blueprint, by apparati in the cell. Surface proteins on the cell identify the cells as self or non-self, and also allow researchers to identify different cell types, by identifying the proteins expressed on their surface. Antibodies are used to identify various types of proteins.

Recipient — The person who receives transplanted tissue, organ, or cells.

Rejection — The response of the immune system to a transplant of foreign tissue, or tissue from another person or animal as donor. Adult stem cells are much more likely to trigger rejection than fetal, embryonic or umbilical cord stem cells.

Rh Protein — A cell recognition protein found on the outside of red blood cells. This protein was first identified in Rhesus monkeys, and thus its name. Along with the “A” and “B” blood type proteins, these constitute the major blood type markers.

Self — Belonging to or part of the body, as opposed to foreign material or foreign proteins present in the body.

Somatic — Pertaining to the body, as opposed to the brain or the spirit.

Stem Cell — A precursor cell capable of differentiating into many different types of cells. Stem cells form a powerful repair system for the body. They have three primary characteristics:

1. They can remain stem cells, indefinitely.

2. They can divide, and each daughter cell can continue to be a stem cell, or can convert into precursor cells to other types of cells.

3. They can turn into many other types of cells

Stem Cell Therapy — Use of stem cells to treat a disorder. Over 70 different disorders have been identified as amenable to stem cell therapy.

Teratoma — A type of tumor, often cancerous, containing many different cell types, even teeth, hair, bone, etc. This type of tumor is the most common tumor resulting from embryonic stem cell transplantation in animals, and is the reason that embryonic stem cells are not used in humans.

Totipotent — Capable of differentiating into all cell types. Only the fertilized ovum and the first few stages of cell division, down to the 8 cell stage, are considered Totipotent.

Transplantation — Moving an organ, tissue or cell from one person—the donor—into another, the recipient. Transplants of organs generally involve surgery, but stem cell transplantation can be done by injecting the cells into a specific area, or by infusing them into the bloodstream and allowing them to find their way to the damaged tissues.

Tumor — Swelling. An abnormal mass of tissue. Tumors may be cancerous, or non-cancerous (benign). The tumors caused by embryonic stem cells are called teratomas.

Umbilical Cord — The cord that connects the fetus to the placenta, and carries blood to and away from the fetus. This cord is usually discarded as medical waste after birth. It contains multipotent stem cells in its blood and tissues.

Umbilical Cord Blood — the blood contained by the placenta and umbilical cord after the cord is clamped and cut, following the birth of a baby. It contains multipotent stem cells.

Umbilical Cord Stem Cells — A mixed population of stem cells found in the blood of the neonatal umbilical cord and placenta. This population includes multipotent embryonic-like stem cells, a population of hematopoetic stem cells, and a variety of stem cells capable of differentiating into virtually all adult human tissues. Umbilical cord stem cells do not trigger immune reactions, like adult stem cells, and do not cause tumors, like embryonic stem cells. Mesenchymal stem cells are also found in the umbilical cord material itself, but are rare in umbilical cord blood.