**11. Stem cells**

Stem cells are biological cells found in all multi-cellular organisms that can divide (through mitosis) and differentiate into diverse, specialized cell types and can self-renew to produce more stem cells. There are three accessible sources of autologous adult stem cells in humans: bone marrow, adipose tissue (lipid cells) and blood. Scientists believe that stem cell therapy has the potential to significantly revolutionize medicine. A number of adult stem cell therapies already exist, particularly bone marrow transplants that are used to treat leukemia. There is also the potential for a wider variety of diseases to be treated with stem cells (cancer, Parkin‐ son's disease, spinal cord injuries, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, Multiple sclerosis, and some forms of myopathies). Successful trials on the implantation of stem cells directly on detrusor muscle to treat urinary incontinence have opened the way to their use in muscle pathology. Clinical trials have commenced, but the clinical use of stem cells for the treatment of muscle strains is still for the future. One concern of stem cell treatment is the risk that transplanted stem cells could potentially form tumors [39].
