UNIT 1 FUNDAMENTALS OF STEM CELL BIOLOGY

Embryogenesis - Developmental stages - properties of stem cells – pluripotency, totipotency. Definitions and molecular mechanisms factors that dictate stem cell behaviour. Identification and characteristic of pluripotent stem cells in animal and humans; sources of pluripotentcells - blastocysts, parthenogenesis, nuclear transfer, IPS, stem cell markers.

UNIT 2 TYPES OF STEM CELLS

Germ Line Stem Cell, Determination of the Germ Line; Identification, Characterization and Purification of Germ Line Stem cells; Germ Line Stem cell Niche; Establishment of Germ Line cells in vitro - Properties of Germ Line Stem cells. Embryonic Stem Cells In vitro fertilization - culturing of embryos - isolation of human embryonic stem cells - growing ES cells in labs - stimulation ES cells for differentiation - identification –properties of ES cells. Adult stem cell Somatic stem cells - test for identication of adult stem cells - adult stem cell differentiation – transdifferentiation - plasticity - different types of adult stem cells - properties of adult stem cell.

UNIT 3 REPRESENTATIVES OF STEM CELL

Neuronal stem cells, mesenchymal and cardiac stem cells Hematopoietic stem cells, Epithelial stem cells (Skin, intestine, breast) and cancer stem cells.

UNIT 4 GENE THERAPY, APPLICATION AND REPARATIVE MEDICINE

Gene therapy - stem cells and animal cloning, introduction to modeling cell behaviour unique characteristic of stem cell and modeling of signal transduction. Mechanisms for stem cell manipulation in controlled microenvironments.Therapeutic applications and reparative medicine - parkinson disease - neurological disorder - limb amputation – heart disease - spinal cord injuries - diabetes - burns-HLA typing - Alzheimer’s Disease

UNIT 5 STEM CELL – BASED TISSUE REGENERATION AND ETHICAL ISSUE

Tissue engineering application - production of complete organ - kidney - eyes - heart - brain. Establishment of human stem cell bank. Stem cell policy and ethics, stem cell research: Hype, hope and controversy.