Embryonic Stem Cells Flashcards
Where do embryonic stem cells come from
From the part of the inner cell mass of the blastocyst which contains pluripotent cells
What does pluripotency mean?
The ability to differentiate into any and every tissue in the body
Who were the first people to isolate embryonic stem cells?
Evans and Kaufman
What happened when Evans and Kaufman put embryonic stem cells in culture?
They lost their pluripotency
How can the stemness of embryonic stem cells be retained in vitro?
By placing them into embryonic fibroblast feeders and enriching the medium with Leukemia Inhibitory Factor
The study of ES cells has been important to…?
- to study specific signals and differentiation steps required for differentiation into many tissues
- to produce knock out mice
- to recreate models of human disease
What may a potential use of ES cells be in the future?
To be implanted into hosts with a damaged organ and to repopulate the cells of the damaged organ.
What are the barriers in the development of usinf ES cells to regenerate organs?
ES cells injected into nude mice induce teratomas
Ethical concerns of using human ES cells
