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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.

Maintenance of the ES Cell State

Maintenance of the ES Cell State

The cells of the blastocyst inner cell mass only remain pluripotent for a short time. This state of pluripotency and self-renewal can be maintained in embryonic stem (ES) cell culture by adding specific chemicals or growth factors to ensure the cells can continue dividing and later differentiate into different cell types. In some cases, the cells are grown on a feeder layer of differentiated cells, which provides the growth factors and extracellular matrix components necessary for stem cell...

Stem Cell Culture

Stem Cell Culture

Stem cell research aims to find ways to use stem cells to regenerate and repair cellular damage. Over time, most adult cells undergo the wear and tear of aging and lose their ability to divide and repair themselves. Stem cells do not display a particular morphology or function. Adult stem cells, which exist as a small subset of cells in most tissues, keep dividing and can differentiate into a number of specialized cells generally formed by that tissue. These cells enable the body to renew and...

Adult Stem Cells

Adult Stem Cells

Stem cells are undifferentiated cells that divide and produce more stem cells or progenitor cells that differentiate into mature, specialized cell types. All the cells in the body are generated from stem cells in the early embryo, but small populations of stem cells are also present in many adult tissues including the bone marrow, brain, skin, and gut. These adult stem cells typically produce the various cell types found in that tissue—to replace cells that are damaged or to continuously renew...

Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells

Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells

Stem cells are undifferentiated cells that divide and produce different cell types. Ordinarily, cells that have differentiated into a specific cell type are terminally differentiated; however, scientists have found a way to reprogram these mature cells so that they dedifferentiate and return to an unspecialized, proliferative state. These cells are pluripotent like embryonic stem cells—able to produce all cell types—and are called induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs).
Somatic cells are...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 26, 2026

Culture and Maintenance of Human Embryonic Stem Cells

Culture and Maintenance of Human Embryonic Stem Cells

Published on: December 22, 2009

Human embryonic stem cells: 10 years on.

Paul J Gokhale¹, Peter W Andrews

¹Department of Biomedical Science, Centre for Stem Cell Biology, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK.

Laboratory Investigation; a Journal of Technical Methods and Pathology

|January 21, 2009

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Human embryonic stem cells (ES cells) have seen significant biological and technological progress. Induced pluripotent stem cells offer new avenues for advancing stem cell applications.

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Culture and Maintenance of Human Embryonic Stem Cells

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Published on: November 27, 2017

Area of Science:

* Stem Cell Biology
* Regenerative Medicine
* Developmental Biology

Background:

* Over the past decade, considerable advancements have been made in human embryonic stem (ES) cell biology and associated technologies.
* Established regulatory frameworks exist for human ES cell research, though international variations in restrictiveness persist.
* Consensus has been reached on markers and criteria for characterizing human ES cells.

Purpose of the Study:

* To review the progress in human embryonic stem cell biology and technology over the last 10 years.
* To outline the current landscape of regulatory frameworks and characterization methods for human ES cells.
* To discuss the implications of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) for future applications.

Main Methods:

* Review of scientific literature and technological advancements in human ES cell research.
* Analysis of regulatory policies and ethical guidelines governing stem cell research.
* Examination of protocols for directed differentiation of human ES cells.
* Assessment of the impact of induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology.

Main Results:

* Significant progress in understanding human ES cell biology and developing related technologies.
* Harmonization of characterization markers and differentiation protocols for human ES cells.
* Development of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) closely mimicking ES cells.
* Established, albeit varied, regulatory frameworks supporting human ES cell research.

Conclusions:

* Human ES cell research has matured, with standardized characterization and differentiation protocols.
* Induced pluripotent stem cell technology is poised to accelerate the development of stem cell-based applications.
* Future applications in regenerative medicine and disease modeling are anticipated based on these advances.