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A European Union 6th Framework funded project with €2.5 million funding over 3 years |
Glossary
Check out also : A glossary for stem-cell biology Nature, 441, 1060
adipocytes |
Muscle-forming cells. |
| Special 'template' cells found in tissues such as bone marrow, skin or muscle. They can differentiate to make a specific range of specialised cells | |
Measures the resistance to the flow of electrical current through various tissues of the body and can be used to measure the density of bone or bone substitutes |
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The range of approaches that are used to further biological understanding, such as statistical techniques, database analysis and algorithms |
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A laboratory system in which cells can be cultured for use in tissue engineering |
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The hard skeleton that forms the structure of the body, composed of calcium phosphate and calcium carbonate |
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| A sponge-like tissue filling the inner cavities of bones | |
| Heart muscle-forming cells | |
Firm, rubbery tissue that cushions bones at joints |
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| Cartilage-forming cells | |
| Pairs of structures within cells made of DNA | |
| An unbroken layer of cells, one cell thick | |
| A method for separating materials of differing densities that involves spinning them at high speed | |
When 'template' cells begin to specialise to become specific types of cells |
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Deoxyribonucleic acid is the genetic material in humans |
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Spheroid colonies of mixed cell types produced when embryonic stem cells are grown in suspension. Their composition and the development of the embryoid body is similar to early embryonic development |
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Totipotent stem cells taken from early embryos (<5 days) |
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Embryonic stem cells that are encouraged to self-renew but not differentiate |
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A stem cell from the skin able to produce hair follicle, epidermal or sebaceous gland tissue |
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A layer of animal derived cells upon which embryonic stem cells can be grown |
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Stem cells found in blood and bone marrow that can differentiate into a limited range of specialised cells |
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The characteristic of some areas of the body to protect themselves from the standard immune response where this might be detrimental to their critical function eg. the eyes |
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| Describing a process carried out in the laboratory, reflecting a similar process that occurs inside the body. | |
| Describing a process that occurs inside the body. | |
| Chemicals produced when certain types of cell are present. These can be tested for to confirm or deny the presence of a particular kind of cell | |
Stem cells found in bone marrow that can differentiate to become bone, cartilage or other connective tissues |
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Studying biology at the level of molecules, particularly the interactions within cells |
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| The fraction of bone marrow or umbilical cord blood, obtained by centrifugation, that contains mesenchymal stem cells. MSCs adhere to plastic allowing them to be separated from other cell types in the mononuclear fraction. | |
The ability of a stem cell to differentiate into a limited range of cells |
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Stem cell found in the brain that can differentiate into a range of nervous system cells |
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Bone-making cells, producing a porous matrix that becomes hard when it is mineralised |
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Cells that break down bone. The relative activity of osteoblasts and osteoclasts determine the overall bone mass at any one time |
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A bone cell |
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| The characteristics of an organism that you can see, such as appearance and biochemistry | |
The potential of stem cells from one type of tissue to differentiate into cells of another tissue type |
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The potential of later embryonic stem cells (>5 days) to differentiate to become nearly all other types of cell |
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| A cell formed during the initial stages of differentiation of stem cells that defines the differentiation pathway | |
The use of large scale protein separation and identification techniques to study the complete set of proteins in the body |
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Ribonucleic acid is formed from DNA and is used as the template for the generation of proteins |
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Support material for tissue engineering |
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The process of transferring a biological procedure that works in a laboratory up to a scale suitable for wider-scale therapeutic use |
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The ability of stem cells to reproduce themselves indefinitely |
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A blank 'template' cell that has the ability to replicate itself indefinitely, and can also differentiate to become specialised cell types |
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The two ends of a chromosome that regulate the ability of cells to renew and differentiate |
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An enzyme that is involved in the formation, maintenance and renewal of telomeres |
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The use of living cells as engineering materials to replace, repair or maintain tissues within the body |
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The potential of early embryonic stem cells (<5 days) to differentiate to become all other types of cell |
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| The 'reading' of DNA to produce an RNA template for making proteins | |
| The study of the RNA transcripts produced from DNA | |
| The differentiation of a stem cell from one type of tissue into another cell type entirely | |
| Blood taken from the umbilical cord after birth. A useful source of hematopoietic stem cells |
