{"id":246496,"date":"2026-10-02T00:11:14","date_gmt":"2026-10-02T00:11:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.stemcellmedellin.com\/?p=246496"},"modified":"2026-10-02T00:11:14","modified_gmt":"2026-10-02T00:11:14","slug":"types-of-stem-cells","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.stemcellmedellin.com\/es\/types-of-stem-cells\/","title":{"rendered":"Tipos de c\u00e9lulas madre: de d\u00f3nde provienen y cu\u00e1les se utilizan en terapia."},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Short answer<\/p>

There are four main types of stem cells: embryonic<\/strong>, adult<\/strong> (also called tissue-specific, including mesenchymal and blood-forming cells), perinatal<\/strong> (from the umbilical cord and placenta) and induced pluripotent stem cells<\/strong> made in the lab. They come from embryos, bone marrow, fat, umbilical cord tissue and blood, or reprogrammed adult cells. Regenerative treatments for joint pain use mesenchymal (adult or perinatal) cells<\/strong>, not embryonic cells.<\/p><\/div>\n\n\n\n

What makes a cell a stem cell?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A stem cell can do two things other cells cannot: copy itself many times, and give rise to more specialized cells. How many cell types it can become is called its potency<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Potency<\/th>Can become<\/th>Example<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Totipotent<\/td>Every cell of the body plus the placenta<\/td>The fertilized egg in its first divisions<\/td><\/tr>
Pluripotent<\/td>Almost any cell of the body<\/td>Embryonic stem cells, induced pluripotent stem cells<\/td><\/tr>
Multipotent<\/td>Several cell types within a family<\/td>Mesenchymal cells (bone, cartilage, fat); blood-forming cells<\/td><\/tr>
Unipotent<\/td>A single cell type<\/td>Muscle satellite cells, some skin cells<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Multipotent cells<\/strong> are the ones most relevant to treatment today. They are more limited than pluripotent cells, which also makes them more predictable and safer to use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The main types of stem cells<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

1. Embryonic stem cells<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

They are obtained from the inner cell mass of a blastocyst, an embryo of about five days, usually donated from in vitro fertilization with the consent of the donors. They are pluripotent, which makes them powerful for research but also carries a risk of forming tumors, and their use raises ethical debates. Their use in patients is limited to clinical trials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Adult (tissue-specific) stem cells<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

They live in many tissues and help maintain and repair them. Two groups matter most in medicine:<\/p>\n\n\n\n