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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.

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...

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...

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...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 1, 2026

Reprogramming Primary Amniotic Fluid and Membrane Cells to Pluripotency in Xeno-free Conditions

Reprogramming Primary Amniotic Fluid and Membrane Cells to Pluripotency in Xeno-free Conditions

Published on: November 27, 2017

Embryonic stem cells and property rights.

Anna-Karin M Andersson¹

¹University of Cambridge, UK. aka37@cam.ac.uk

The Journal of Medicine and Philosophy

|May 21, 2011

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Researchers using destroyed human embryos have few restrictions on use rights and property rights. Those destroying embryos have use rights, not property rights, subject to owner permission. This impacts stem cell research law.

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Targeted and Selective Treatment of Pluripotent Stem Cell-derived Teratomas Using External Beam Radiation in a Small-animal Model

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Published on: February 17, 2019

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Last Updated: Jun 1, 2026

Reprogramming Primary Amniotic Fluid and Membrane Cells to Pluripotency in Xeno-free Conditions

Reprogramming Primary Amniotic Fluid and Membrane Cells to Pluripotency in Xeno-free Conditions

Published on: November 27, 2017

Targeted and Selective Treatment of Pluripotent Stem Cell-derived Teratomas Using External Beam Radiation in a Small-animal Model

Targeted and Selective Treatment of Pluripotent Stem Cell-derived Teratomas Using External Beam Radiation in a Small-animal Model

Published on: February 17, 2019

Area of Science:

Bioethics
Stem Cell Research Law

Background:

Debate surrounds human embryonic stem cell (hESC) research and potential researcher complicity in embryo destruction.
The commodification of human embryos is a significant ethical concern in hESC research.

Purpose of the Study:

To analyze the moral use and property rights of researchers in human embryos.
To determine the extent of researchers' rights based on their involvement (destruction vs. utilization) with embryos.
To examine the implications for US federal law regulating hESC research.

Main Methods:

Philosophical analysis of moral rights (use and property) concerning human embryos.
Examination of the moral status of human embryos and its impact on rights.
Legal analysis of US federal regulations on hESC research.

Main Results:

Researchers utilizing already destroyed human embryos face minimal restrictions on use and property rights.
Researchers who destroy human embryos possess use rights, not property rights, contingent on legitimate owners' consent.
The moral status of embryos imposes few limitations on the utilization of destroyed embryos.

Conclusions:

The findings clarify researchers' moral and legal standing regarding human embryos in stem cell research.
The analysis provides a framework for understanding rights and responsibilities in hESC research.
Implications for US federal law governing hESC research are discussed, potentially influencing future regulations.