Could stem cells provide hope to spinal cord injuries?
The Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation states that:
"Stem cells hold promise for the development of effective treatments for a host of diseases and disorders. They are the primitive cells that give rise to different kinds of tissues in the body and they are "self-renewing" in the body and in the laboratory so that large quantities can be produced for medical purposes. Researchers are working on understanding the basic biological mechanisms of stem cells and aim to use these cells to help repair the injured spinal cord."
Answer the following questions below, you may use other or additional sources to answer your questions (references cited are suggested).
1) What are stem cells?
2) What are spinal cord injuries? Why could they be so devastating?
3) How could stem cells affect the possible regeneration of a damaged spinal cord?