Stem Cells: In search of common ground

February 18, 2008

With the number of stem-cell lines rapidly increasing, technology developers are working to improve systems for culturing and efficient differentiation — all with an eye on the clinic.

The explosion in stem-cell research that followed the isolation of human embryonic stem cells1 in 1998 has seen the number of cell lines available to researchers increase dramatically. This burst may be due to the fact that embryonic stem cells are pluripotent — having the potential to generate all adult and embryonic cell types — so there are exceptional possibilities for their use in medicine. (Nature)