---
title: "What is an adult stem cell?"
url: "https://worldwiki.io/q/what-is-an-adult-stem-cell"
type: "question"
language: "en"
intent: "informational"
entity: "Adult Stem Cell"
topic: "SVF & Adipose-derived Cells"
published: "2026-09-14 13:42:07"
updated: "2026-09-15 10:36:00"
---

# What is an adult stem cell?

## Short answer

An adult stem cell is an undifferentiated cell found in developed tissue that can renew itself and produce specialized cells of that tissue. Examples include hematopoietic stem cells in bone marrow and mesenchymal stromal cells in fat. They are generally multipotent rather than pluripotent, and their best-established therapeutic use is blood-forming stem cell transplantation.

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## Sources

1. [Stem Cell Basics](https://stemcells.nih.gov/info/basics) — National Institutes of Health (NIH) · evidence page: https://worldwiki.io/source/1
2. [NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms: stem cell](https://www.cancer.gov/publications/dictionaries/cancer-terms/def/stem-cell) — National Cancer Institute (NCI) · evidence page: https://worldwiki.io/source/12