What is the difference between adult and embryonic stem cells?
Adult stem cells are multipotent. This means they can become all the cells in a closely related family of cells. For example, bone marrow stem cells can become red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets. Recent research suggests that some adult stem cells may have greater potential to form different cell types than was previously thought. Embryonic stem cells are pluripotent. This means they can develop into any of the body’s cell types except those needed to produce a fetus. These cells are extremely versatile and are relatively easy to grow in culture.
