Related topics: stem cells , barack obama
Embryonic stem cell
hideEmbryonic stem cells (ES cells) are stem cells derived from the inner cell mass of an early stage embryo known as a blastocyst. Human embryos reach the blastocyst stage 4–5 days post fertilization, at which time they consist of 50–150 cells.
Embryonic Stem (ES) cells are pluripotent. This means they are able to differentiate into all derivatives of the three primary germ layers: ectoderm, endoderm, and mesoderm. These include each of the more than 220 cell types in the adult body. Pluripotency distinguishes ES cells from multipotent progenitor cells found in the adult; these only form a limited number of cell types. When given no stimuli for differentiation, (i.e. when grown in vitro), ES cells maintain pluripotency through multiple cell divisions. The presence of pluripotent adult stem cells remains a subject of scientific debate; however, research has demonstrated that pluripotent stem cells can be directly generated from adult fibroblast cultures.
Because of their plasticity and potentially unlimited capacity for self-renewal, ES cell therapies have been proposed for regenerative medicine and tissue replacement after injury or disease. However Diseases treated by these non-embryonic stem cells include a number of blood and immune-system related genetic diseases, cancers, and disorders; juvenile diabetes; Parkinson's; blindness and spinal cord injuries. Besides the ethical concerns of stem cell therapy (see stem cell controversy), there is a technical problem of graft-versus-host disease associated with allogeneic stem cell transplantation. However, these problems associated with histocompatibility may be solved using autologous donor adult stem cells or via therapeutic cloning.
For more information about Embryonic stem cell, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
News tagged with embryonic stem cells
When is a stem cell really a stem cell?
Nov 24, 2009 |
4.2 / 5 (6) |
0
(PhysOrg.com) -- Induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells -- adult cells reprogrammed to look and function like versatile embryonic stem cells -- are of growing interest in medicine. They may provide a way to ...
Stem cells restore mobility in neck-injured rats (w/ Video)
Nov 10, 2009 |
5 / 5 (9) |
1
(PhysOrg.com) -- The first human embryonic stem cell treatment approved by the FDA for human testing has been shown to restore limb function in rats with neck spinal cord injuries - a finding that could expand the clinical ...
Scientists turn stem cells into precursors for sperm, eggs
Oct 28, 2009 |
5 / 5 (3) |
0
Human embryonic stem cells derived from excess IVF embryos may help scientists unlock the mysteries of infertility for other couples struggling to conceive, according to new research from the Stanford University School of ...
What drives our genes? Researchers map the first complete human epigenome
Oct 14, 2009 |
4.8 / 5 (14) |
0
Although the human genome sequence faithfully lists (almost) every single DNA base of the roughly 3 billion bases that make up a human genome, it doesn't tell biologists much about how its function is regulated. Now, researchers ...
Scientists closer to making implantable bone material
Jul 26, 2009 |
4.3 / 5 (4) |
1
(PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists are closer to understanding how to grow replacement bones with stem cell technology, thanks to research published today in the journal Nature Materials.
Researchers create first targeted knockout rats using zinc finger nuclease technology
Jul 23, 2009 |
5 / 5 (5) |
6
Scientists from The Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, Sangamo Biosciences, Inc., Sigma-Aldrich Corporation, Open Monoclonal Technology, Inc. (OMT) and INSERM today announced the creation of the first genetically ...
Researchers discover genetic circuit that regulates behavior of stem cells
Jul 20, 2009 |
5 / 5 (3) |
0
Jordi Garcia Ojalvo -- a lecturer at the Department of Physics and Nuclear Engineering of the Universitat Politčcnica de Catalunya’s School of Industrial and Aeronautical Engineering of Terrassa (ETSEIAT, ...
Stem cells' 'suspended' state preserved by key step, scientists report
Jul 08, 2009 |
5 / 5 (2) |
1
Scientists have identified a gene that is essential for embryonic stem cells to maintain their all-purpose, pluripotent state. Exploiting the finding may lead to a greater understanding of how cells acquire their specialized ...
Human sperm created from embryonic stem cells (Update)
Jul 08, 2009 |
4.7 / 5 (3) |
0
(PhysOrg.com) -- Human sperm have been created using embryonic stem cells for the first time in a scientific development which will lead researchers to a better understanding of the causes of infertility.
Salamanders, regenerative wonders, heal like mammals, people
Jul 01, 2009 |
5 / 5 (25) |
13
The salamander is a superhero of regeneration, able to replace lost limbs, damaged lungs, sliced spinal cord -- even bits of lopped-off brain. But it turns out that remarkable ability isn't so mysterious after ...
World first: Chinese scientists create pig stem cells
Jun 02, 2009 |
4.2 / 5 (5) |
4
Scientists have managed to induce cells from pigs to transform into pluripotent stem cells - cells that, like embryonic stem cells, are capable of developing into any type of cell in the body. It is the first time in the ...
Embryo's heartbeat drives blood stem cell formation
May 13, 2009 |
1 / 5 (1) |
0
(PhysOrg.com) -- Biologists have long wondered why the embryonic heart begins beating so early, before the tissues actually need to be infused with blood. Two groups of researchers from Children's Hospital ...
A major breakthrough in generating safer, therapeutic stem cells from adult cells
Apr 23, 2009 |
5 / 5 (11) |
0
The new technique solves one of the most challenging safety hurdles associated with personalized stem cell-based medicine because for the first time it enables scientists to make stem cells in the laboratory from adult cells ...
UCSF team closer to creating safe embryonic-like stem cells
Apr 12, 2009 |
4.7 / 5 (3) |
4
A team of UCSF researchers has for the first time used tiny molecules called microRNAs to help turn adult mouse cells back to their embryonic state. These reprogrammed cells are pluripotent, meaning that, like embryonic stem ...
Human ES cells progress slowly in myelin's direction
Apr 09, 2009 |
4.5 / 5 (4) |
0
Scientists from the University of Wisconsin, USA, report in the journal Development the successful generation from human embryonic stem cells of a type of cell that can make myelin, a finding that opens up new possibilities for bo ...
