Embryonic Stem Cells Research
Embryonic Stem Cell Research In an age where biotechnology is among the most progressive of fields, embryonic stem cell research has become a hot topic among researchers, politicians, and the media alike. Stem cell research is receiving a good deal of attention, mainly due to the hope it offers and the questions it raises. Despite the controversy surrounding the research, it is an undeniable breakthrough, and perhaps a large part of biotechnology’s future. Embryonic stem (ES) cells are defined as “pluripotent cell lines that have been derived from the inner cell mass (ICM) of blastocyst stage embryos,” (Eiges et al, 2001). Theoretically, the ES cells have the ability to self-renew and eventually differentiate into almost any type of tissue. Human ES cells used in these experiments are taken from embryos approximately 4 to 6 days old and plated on mouse embryonic fibroblast feeder cells. In this environment the cells can remain in an undifferentiated state and multiply. If growth factors are withdrawn from the medium the cells can differentiate into any number of cell types (Paul, Li and Brundin, 2002). One recent study the results of which were published in Volume 11, Issue 7 of “Current Biology” sought to “obtain pure clone of human ES cells that are genetically modified so that their undifferentiated phenotype can be followed and selected for in vitro,” (Eiges et al, 2001).