Researchers have discovered that the immediate environment of stem cells can have a strong influence on the fate of their descendants : they observed that the forces applied to stem cells during division influenced the likelihood that these dividing cells would produce two new stem cells, one stem cell and one specialized cell, or even two specialized cells. This study has major implications for the therapeutic use of stem cells: it suggests that, by controlling the composition and conditions in the microenvironment of the niche, it is possible to reproduce and retain stem cell properties in culture for subsequent use in transplants to repair damaged tissues.
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