• Question: How old is the cell when it is taken away to be grown into a stem cell?

    Asked by ninjasaurus to Emma, James, Jayne, Kara, Sharon on 17 Mar 2011 in Categories: .
    • Photo: Emma King

      Emma King answered on 17 Mar 2011:

      Hi ninjasaurus – it depends on the cell! All your cells grow and die at different rates so it depends which type of cell and when we take it.
      If we are talking about embryonic stem cell research then we can only take the cells up to 14days after fertilisation – so it doesn’t mean the cell we take is necessarily 14 days old, but the embryo as a whole cannot be older than that.
      I’m sorry, my answer is a bit confusing – hopefully one of the others will give you a better one!

    • Photo: Sharon Sneddon

      Sharon Sneddon answered on 17 Mar 2011:

      Hi Ninjasaurus,
      With embryonic stem cells, the cells are between 5 and 7 days, before this, the cells are too young and after that stage, the cells have started to develop into different cell types so are no longer able to make stem cells.
      If you are talking about adult stem cells, then they can be taken at any age!

Comments