Embryonic Stem Cells
Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) are pluripotent cells derived from the inner cell mass of the blastocyst. They have the ability to renew themselves and to differentiate into a variety of different cell types that are found in the body. Unlike somatic or ‘adult’ stem cells, hESCs proliferate indefinitely. This, together with their ability to differentiate into most adult cell types, has resulted in the preferred use of these cells for research and therapeutic applications, as they represent a potentially indefinite source of therapeutic cells. Any cell therapy derived from hESCs would be allogeneic by nature. Some current studies involve the potential therapeutic application of hESCs for spinal cord injury, age-related macular degeneration (AMD), cardiovascular diseases, and diabetes. Among the start up cell therapy companies, Geron and Advanced Cell Technologies have pioneered clinical trials using cells differentiated from hESCs.
Read more about this topic: Cell Therapy
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