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Embryonic Stem Cell

An embryonic stem cell is derived from the undifferentiated cells that form a blastocyst, which is an early stage embryo, five days old, consisting of 100 to 150 cells. An embryonic stem cell is pluripotent in nature, giving it the ability to develop into any of the 200 types of cells required by the human body.

Research in this particular field is relatively new, with the first major breakthrough occurring in 1998, when scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison successfully extracted and cultured embryonic stem cells from a blastocyst fertilized in vitro. Earlier studies into pluripotency were focused on mice, where it was discovered that extracted mouse stem cells continued to divide even when in culture dishes, and still managed to differentiate into any cell type when tested under the right conditions. Some challenges researchers now face are to cultivate isolated embryonic stem cells past the first stages of development, to decrease probabilities of stem cell implants being rejected by the host body, and to gain control over the multiplication of the stem cells so as not to produce cancer.

Web Resources On Embryonic Stem Cell

International Society for Stem Cell Research
Stem Cell Research Foundation

Book Resources On Embryonic Stem Cell

Human Embryonic Stem Cells: An Introduction to the Science and Therapeutic Potential by Ann A. Kiessling
Differentiation of Embryonic Stem Cells by Mount Sinai School of Medicine

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