Stem Cells Practice Questions

Which statement describes a stem cell?

Put a cross ( ☒ ) in the box next to your answer.

☐ A a cell that has already become specialised

☐ B a cell that can divide to produce different types of cell

☐ C a cell that is unable to divide

☐ D a cell that divides by meiosis to form gametes

Explain why embryonic stem cells can be used to produce nerve cells.

State one other place in the adult human body where stem cells are found.

Give one way in which adult stem cells are different from embryonic stem cells.

Suggest why doctors check that the tissue type of the donor matches the tissue type of the patient.

Explain how stem cells could be used to treat type 1 diabetes.

Suggest one reason why the new insulin-producing cells may stop working a few years after the treatment.

Calculate the percentage increase in the mean movement score of Group A between week 0 and week 8.

The scientists concluded that injecting stem cells helps damaged spinal cords to recover. Evaluate this conclusion using the data in the table.

Describe the function of the meristem tissue found at the shoot tip and root tip of this plant.

Give two differences between the stem cells in a plant meristem and the stem cells found in an adult human.

Give two risks to a patient of having this stem cell treatment.

Give one advantage of using the patient's own stem cells rather than stem cells from a donor.

Parkinson's disease is caused by the death of nerve cells in the brain that release a chemical called dopamine. There is no cure.

Doctors are developing two ways of replacing these nerve cells:

• Method 1: stem cells taken from spare embryos left over from fertility treatment are made to differentiate into dopamine-releasing nerve cells.
• Method 2: skin cells taken from the patient are reprogrammed so that they have the properties of embryonic stem cells, then made to differentiate into dopamine-releasing nerve cells.

Evaluate the use of these two methods to treat a patient with Parkinson's disease.

After a heart attack, part of the heart muscle is damaged and stops contracting properly.

In a trial, 18 patients were injected with stem cells taken from their own bone marrow. Another 18 patients were injected with salt solution only. Doctors measured the percentage of the wall of the left ventricle that moved normally, before the injection and again 12 months later.

Group	Mean percentage of ventricle wall moving normally before injection	Mean percentage of ventricle wall moving normally after 12 months
Stem cells (18 patients)	52	64
Salt solution only (18 patients)	51	55

A newspaper reported that "stem cells can repair a damaged heart".

Evaluate this report using the information given.