Types and Classification of Stem Cells

The stem cells can be classified based on the location in which they reside; for example, the stem cells which are present in an adult person are called as adult stem cells, stem cells which are located in an embryo are called as embryonic stem cells, and also, the stem cells which are present in the umbilical cord are called as cord blood stem cells, respectively. Besides, stem cells are also classified based on their differentiation characteristics; for example, stem cells are differentiated into five distinct types like totipotent, pluripotent, multipotent, oligopotent and unipotent. A stem cell line is defined as a clonal, self-renewing cell population that is multipotent and thus can generate several differentiated cell types and is primarily distinguished according to their potency, origin and lineage progression. In this chapter, we have discussed different types of stem cells which are present in human body and also discussed about induced pluripotent stem cells and their significance.