stem cell
noun1
Biology, Cytology, Medicine, Natural sciences, Sciences A primal undifferentiated cell from which a variety of other cells can develop through the process of cellular differentiation.
- Stem cells are characterized by their ability to self-renew and to produce numerous differentiated cell types, and are directly responsible for generating and maintaining tissues and organs.2002, Haifan Lin, “The stem-cell niche theory: Lessons from flies,”, in Nature Reviews: Genetics, volume 3, page 931:
- Derived terms
- mesenchymal stem cell