What are the two essential properties of stem cells?

The essence of stem cells lies in their unique abilities, which are characterized by potency and self-renewal. Potency refers to the ability of stem cells to differentiate into various specialized cell types, giving them the potential to become different kinds of tissues necessary for growth, repair, and maintenance of the body. This flexibility in cell fate is what makes stem cells an important focus in regenerative medicine and developmental biology.

Self-renewal is the ability of stem cells to undergo numerous cycles of cell division while maintaining their undifferentiated state. This property is crucial for the persistence of the stem cell pool throughout the life of an organism, allowing them to continuously generate more stem cells or differentiate into specialized cells as needed.

The combination of these two properties—potency and self-renewal—ensures that stem cells can both provide a source of new cells and maintain their population over time, which is vital for growth and healing processes in the body.