Stem cells are extraordinary. You can’t survive without them. In fact, you would never have developed from a fertilized egg into an embryo and an adult if it weren’t for stem cells. They are unique because they can both:
- Produce copies of themselves, AND
- Make other, more specialized types of cell, e.g. skin cells, nerve cells or blood cells.
No other cell in the body can do both these things. This makes stem cells vital for replacing cells in your body as they get damaged or used up. It also gives them huge potential for treating disease.
INTENS aims to make a functional reconstructed bowel for people with Short Bowel Syndrome. This will be achieved through collaboration between stem cell scientists and bioengineers. This website provides technical scientific information about the work of the INTENS consortium. For lots of useful information for non-scientists about stem cell research, visit EuroStemCell.org