stem cell

noun

: an unspecialized cell that gives rise to differentiated cells

hematopoietic stem cells in bone marrow

Examples of stem cell in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Katharina Harf then introduced 11-year-old Brooklynn St. John to her donor for a stem cell transplant, firefighter Justin Bradshaw, onstage. —James Manso, WWD, 18 Oct. 2024

But for now, the results suggest the trial is paving the way for stem cell therapy in the treatment of diabetes. —Margherita Bassi, Smithsonian Magazine, 10 Oct. 2024

Seven people around the world have now been cured of HIV through stem cell transplants. —Maya Goldman, Axios, 8 Oct. 2024

That patient, along with the others cured, had received stem cell transplants to treat another life-threatening disease, blood cancer. —Dana Taylor, USA TODAY, 26 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1896, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

stem cell

noun

: a simple cell that can become a cell (as a blood cell or skin cell) with a special function

Medical Definition

stem cell

noun

ˈstem- 

: an unspecialized cell capable of perpetuating itself through cell division and having the potential to give rise to differentiated cells with specialized functions

Embryonic stem cells are pluripotent cells derived from the inner cell mass of the blastocyst stage of the embryo.

—Carrie J. Merkle, in Essentials of Pathophysiology

… picture the bone marrow as a blood cell factory that takes a single type of precursor cell, or stem cell, and modifies it in various ways to produce all the cells that circulate in the blood.

—Gina Kolata, Discover

Recent observations are providing increasing evidence for the concept that adult stem cells are part of a natural system for tissue repair.

—Darwin J. Prockop, in Essentials of Stem Cell Biology