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Embryonic Stem Cells

Embryonic Stem Cells

Embryonic stem (ES) cells were first discovered in mice in 1981 by Martin Evans. In 1998, James Thomson identified a method to isolate embryonic stem cells from humans. Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) are obtained from 3-5 day old embryos that remain unused after an in vitro fertilization procedure.
ES cells are grown in a culture medium where they can divide indefinitely, creating ES cell lines. Under certain conditions, ES cells can differentiate, either spontaneously into a variety of...

Embryonic Stem Cells

Embryonic Stem Cells

Embryonic stem (ES) cells are undifferentiated pluripotent cells, meaning they can produce any cell type in the body. This gives them tremendous potential in science and medicine since they can generate specific cell types for use in research or to replace body cells lost due to damage or disease.

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Updated: Jul 10, 2026

Human Pluripotent Stem Cell Based Developmental Toxicity Assays for Chemical Safety Screening and Systems Biology Data Generation

Human Pluripotent Stem Cell Based Developmental Toxicity Assays for Chemical Safety Screening and Systems Biology Data Generation

Published on: June 17, 2015

First steps in establishing a developmental toxicity test method based on human embryonic stem cells.

Sarah Adler¹, Cristian Pellizzer, Lars Hareng

¹ECVAM, Joint Research Centre, Institute for Health and Consumer Protection, Via E. Fermi 1, 21020 Ispra (VA), Italy. sarah.adler@cellartis.com

Toxicology in Vitro : an International Journal Published in Association with BIBRA

|October 27, 2007

Summary

Human embryonic stem (hES) cells offer a promising in vitro method for developmental toxicity testing, avoiding inter-species variations. This study validated hES cells and identified reliable marker genes for assessing toxicity, enhancing consumer and patient safety.

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Area of Science:

Toxicology
Stem Cell Biology
In Vitro Assays

Background:

Embryonic stem cells (ESCs) are crucial for in vitro developmental toxicity assessment.
Human ESCs (hESCs) can prevent misclassification of substances due to inter-species differences.
The murine ESC-based Embryonic Stem Cell Test (EST) is a validated method.

Purpose of the Study:

To establish and validate a cytotoxicity assay using hES cells and human fibroblasts.
To compare the performance of hES cell-based assays with historical murine EST data.
To identify reliable marker genes for developmental toxicity endpoints.

Main Methods:

Cytotoxicity assay using hES cells and human fibroblasts with developmental toxicants (5-fluorouracil and all-trans retinoic acid).
Comparison of IC(50) values with historical data from the murine EST.
Evaluation of marker gene reliability (Oct-4, hTert, Dusp6, Brachyury, GATA-4, TNNT2) during differentiation.

Main Results:

No significant differences in 5-fluorouracil toxicity between cell lines.
All-trans retinoic acid showed higher IC(50) in fibroblasts than stem cells, consistent with known developmental toxicant effects.
Oct-4, hTert, and Dusp6 were reliable for early differentiation; Brachyury and GATA-4 for cardiac differentiation; TNNT2 for late cardiac differentiation.

Conclusions:

hES cell-based assays are effective for developmental toxicity testing.
Specific marker genes demonstrate high potential as toxicological endpoints for hES cell differentiation assays.
This approach enhances safety by avoiding inter-species variations in toxicity assessment.