Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

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.

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...

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...

Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells

Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells

Stem cells are undifferentiated cells that divide and produce different types of cells. Ordinarily, cells that have differentiated into a specific cell type are post-mitotic—that is, they no longer divide. However, scientists have found a way to reprogram these mature cells so that they “de-differentiate” and return to an unspecialized, proliferative state. These cells are also pluripotent like embryonic stem cells—able to produce all cell types—and are therefore called induced pluripotent stem...

EPS and iPS Cells in Disease Research

EPS and iPS Cells in Disease Research

Embryonic and induced pluripotent stem cells are excellent models for disease research because of their ability to self-renew and differentiate into most cell types. Somatic cells from a patient are isolated and reprogrammed into induced pluripotent stem cells or iPSCs. These iPSCs are later differentiated into the desired cell type, which mirrors the diseased cell of the patient. In this way, disease models have been created for investigating diseases such as Down syndrome, type I diabetes,...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Clinical characteristics and diagnostic accuracy of preliminary diagnoses in adults with infections in Danish emergency departments: a multicentre combined cross-sectional and diagnostic study.

BMJ open·2024

Same author

Treatment effect modifiers in hospitalised patients with COVID-19 receiving remdesivir and dexamethasone.

Infectious diseases (London, England)·2023

Same author

Length of stay in Denmark before HIV diagnosis and linkage to care: a population-based study of migrants living with HIV, Denmark, 1995 to 2020.

Euro surveillance : bulletin Europeen sur les maladies transmissibles = European communicable disease bulletin·2022

Same author

Migratory and anti-fibrotic programmes define the regenerative potential of human cardiac progenitors.

Nature cell biology·2022

Same author

Correction to: Improved Survival Among Hospitalized Patients With Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Treated With Remdesivir and Dexamethasone. A Nationwide Population-Based Cohort Study.

Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America·2022

Same author

Improved Survival Among Hospitalized Patients With Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Treated With Remdesivir and Dexamethasone. A Nationwide Population-Based Cohort Study.

Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America·2021

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 24, 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

Human embryonic stem cell technologies and drug discovery.

Janne Jensen¹, Johan Hyllner, Petter Björquist

¹Cellartis AB, Göteborg, Sweden.

Journal of Cellular Physiology

|March 12, 2009

Summary

Human embryonic stem cells (hESC) offer a powerful in vitro model for early drug discovery, improving safety and efficacy assessments. Their ability to differentiate into various cell types, like hepatocytes, enhances pharmaceutical development and reduces late-stage attrition.

More Related Videos

Using Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-derived Hepatocyte-like Cells for Drug Discovery

Using Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-derived Hepatocyte-like Cells for Drug Discovery

Published on: May 19, 2018

Robust Generation of Hepatocyte-like Cells from Human Embryonic Stem Cell Populations

Robust Generation of Hepatocyte-like Cells from Human Embryonic Stem Cell Populations

Published on: October 26, 2011

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 24, 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

Using Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-derived Hepatocyte-like Cells for Drug Discovery

Using Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-derived Hepatocyte-like Cells for Drug Discovery

Published on: May 19, 2018

Robust Generation of Hepatocyte-like Cells from Human Embryonic Stem Cell Populations

Robust Generation of Hepatocyte-like Cells from Human Embryonic Stem Cell Populations

Published on: October 26, 2011

Area of Science:

Biotechnology
Stem Cell Biology
Drug Discovery

Background:

Drug development faces high costs and low success rates, necessitating early identification of compound issues.
Traditional cell systems have limitations in predicting human relevance for drug testing.
Minimizing late-stage attrition due to toxicity or poor pharmacokinetics is crucial for pharmaceutical companies.

Purpose of the Study:

To review the application of human embryonic stem cells (hESC) in pharmaceutical research and drug discovery.
To highlight the potential of hESC-derived cells, particularly hepatocytes, for improving drug development processes.
To discuss optimal culture conditions for hESC-derived cells to maximize their utility.

Main Methods:

Review of existing literature on hESC applications in drug discovery.
Focus on hESC differentiation into hepatocyte-like cells for pharmaceutical relevance.
Discussion of cell culture techniques for optimized hESC-derived cell function.

Main Results:

hESC possess indefinite self-renewal and differentiation capacity, making them valuable for various pharmaceutical applications.
hESC-derived cells, especially hepatocytes, can serve as improved in vitro models for drug screening and safety assessment.
Optimized culture methods are essential for achieving functional hESC-derived cells.

Conclusions:

hESC represent a significant advancement in drug discovery, offering higher human relevance than traditional models.
The use of hESC-derived hepatocytes can enhance early-stage drug development by predicting compound behavior.
Further research into hESC culture and differentiation is key to unlocking their full potential in pharmaceutical R&D.