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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: Jun 15, 2026

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

Hepatic endoderm differentiation from human embryonic stem cells.

Zara Hannoun¹, Céline Filippi, Gareth Sullivan

¹MRC-Centre for Inflammation Research, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.

Current Stem Cell Research & Therapy

|March 11, 2010

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) offer a promising source for generating hepatic endoderm (HE). This review explores differentiation protocols, highlighting oxygen tension and mitochondrial function for successful HE generation.

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Last Updated: Jun 15, 2026

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Published on: October 26, 2011

An Efficient Method for Directed Hepatocyte-Like Cell Induction from Human Embryonic Stem Cells

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Efficient Differentiation of Human Pluripotent Stem Cells into Liver Cells

Efficient Differentiation of Human Pluripotent Stem Cells into Liver Cells

Published on: June 11, 2019

Area of Science:

Stem cell biology
Hepatology
Developmental biology

Background:

Primary human hepatocytes are limited and variable, restricting their use in research and therapy.
Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) possess self-renewal and differentiation potential, offering a renewable source for specific cell types.
Hepatic endoderm (HE) derived from hESCs holds promise for drug discovery, disease modeling, and regenerative medicine.

Purpose of the Study:

To review human liver biology and in vivo observations relevant to hepatic endoderm differentiation from hESCs.
To detail protocols for deriving functional hepatic endoderm from hESCs.
To explore the role of oxygen tension and mitochondrial function in HE differentiation.

Main Methods:

Review of existing literature on human liver development and hESC differentiation.
Analysis of in vivo systems to inform in vitro differentiation protocols.
Investigation into the regulatory role of oxygen tension.
Emphasis on mitochondrial function assessment.

Main Results:

hESCs can be differentiated into hepatic endoderm, addressing the scarcity of primary hepatocytes.
Oxygen tension is identified as a potential regulatory mechanism in HE differentiation.
Mitochondrial function is crucial for evaluating the success of HE generation.

Conclusions:

hESC-derived HE provides a scalable and consistent source for liver research and applications.
Optimizing differentiation protocols, considering factors like oxygen tension and mitochondrial health, is key to generating functional HE.
This approach has significant implications for advancing drug discovery, disease modeling, and therapeutic strategies in hepatology.