All specialized cells in our bodies (e.g. muscle, blood and brain cells) originate from stem cells. Stem cells are unspecialized cells that under certain conditions transform into tissue- or organ-specific cells. Regenerative medicine aims to control and harness the power of stem cells to repair or replace diseased cells, tissues and organs. Cell therapies and regenerative medicine promise to treat and cure some of the most devastating and costly diseases in the world today.
![](http://mb.cision.com/Public/11597/2159564/9bc0de4b35db3f87_800x800ar.png)
Stem cells transform into specialized cells through a series of transformations. The image show how blood stem cells develop into various types of blood cells.
Conventional drug development uses cultured cells to test a new drug before it is tested on humans. Regenerative medicine is radically different in that the cells themselves are the treatment. Traditional methods are ill-suited to study stem cells as they require the cells to be stained. The toxicity of these stains alters cell behavior and make transplantation impossible. HoloMonitor allows scientists to study how stem cells develop into specialized cells without using these toxic stains. |