A cell from which other types of cells develop. For example, blood cells develop from blood-forming stem cells.

An unspecialized cell that has the capacity for reproduction through cell division and can be induced to differentiate into a tissue or organ specific cell.

Relatively undifferentiated cells that retain the ability to divide and proliferate throughout postnatal life to provide progenitor cells that can differentiate into specialized cells.

Stem cells are cells with the potential to develop into many different types of cells in the body. They serve as a repair system for the body. There are two main types of stem cells: embryonic stem cells and adult stem cells. Stem cells are different from other cells in the body in three ways: They can divide and renew themselves over a long time; They are unspecialized, so they cannot do specific functions in the body; They have the potential to become specialized cells, such as muscle cells, blood cells, and brain cells. Doctors and scientists are excited about stem cells because they could help in many different areas of health and medical research. Studying stem cells may help explain how serious conditions such as birth defects and cancer come about. Stem cells may one day be used to make cells and tissues for therapy of many diseases. Examples include Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, spinal cord injury, heart disease, diabetes, and arthritis. NIH: National Institutes of Health

Hemocytoblast, generalized stem cell, from which, according to the monophyletic theory of blood cell formation, all blood cells form, including both erythrocytes and leukocytes. The cell resembles a lymphocyte and has a large nucleus; its cytoplasm contains granules that stain with a...