The hard cell

June 7, 2007

Despite disagreements about the ethics of embryonic stem-cell science, research in the field is thriving globally. At least 500 companies and collaborations have sprung up, 100 of them in the past year alone, according to industry watchers. And although therapies are still largely at the preclinical and safety-testing stages, coaxing these cells to recapitulate development in vitro is already unveiling the beginnings of pathogenesis, revealing new drug targets. (Nature)