Adult Somatic Stem Cells

When we say 'Adult somatic' stem cells (SCs) we are not talking about the SCs found in embryos but the ones found in our adult tissues. These SCs are the ones helping our tissues regenerate and repair throughout our entire lives. So you can imagine how important these cells are! 

Something that happens to these cells is that as we age they lose functionality. Thus SCs that are not working properly = tissue that is not working properly = disease and aging!
That's why we want to know more about these adult SCs to understand how they age and use this information to learn how to keep them healthy longer.