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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.

Zygotic Development And Stem Cell Formation

Zygotic Development And Stem Cell Formation

The development of all multicellular organisms starts with the fusion of haploid cells called sperm and egg to form a diploid zygote. A zygote is a totipotent cell that can develop into a complete organism. The zygote undergoes cell division or cleavage to form an 8-cell mass. Until this stage, the cells are spherical, loosely attached, and remain totipotent. Totipotent cells are capable of developing both the embryonic and the extraembryonic tissues. However, as they continue to divide, they...

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...

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Updated: May 11, 2026

Developing HiPSC Derived Serum Free Embryoid Bodies for the Interrogation of 3-D Stem Cell Cultures Using Physiologically Relevant Assays

Developing HiPSC Derived Serum Free Embryoid Bodies for the Interrogation of 3-D Stem Cell Cultures Using Physiologically Relevant Assays

Published on: July 20, 2017

Would the real human embryonic stem cell please stand up?

Ben Zhang¹, Roman Krawetz, Derrick E Rancourt

¹Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.

Bioessays : News and Reviews in Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology

|May 9, 2013

Summary

Generating naïve human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) is challenging. Cellular reprogramming offers a promising alternative to direct isolation from human embryos, overcoming ethical hurdles.

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Developing HiPSC Derived Serum Free Embryoid Bodies for the Interrogation of 3-D Stem Cell Cultures Using Physiologically Relevant Assays

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Enrichment and Purging of Human Embryonic Stem Cells by Detection of Cell Surface Antigens Using the Monoclonal Antibodies TG30 and GCTM-2

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Published on: December 6, 2013

Fate Mapping of Human Embryonic Stem Cells by Teratoma Formation

Fate Mapping of Human Embryonic Stem Cells by Teratoma Formation

Published on: August 1, 2010

Area of Science:

Stem cell biology
Developmental biology
Cellular reprogramming

Background:

Embryonic stem cells (ESCs) exhibit two main pluripotency states: naïve and primed.
Human ESCs are typically primed, resembling mouse epiblast stem cells.
Naïve human ESCs, similar to mouse ESCs, can be generated via reprogramming.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the challenges in isolating naïve human ESCs (hESCs) directly from human embryos.
To explore whether difficulties stem from suboptimal conditions or the transient nature of naïve hESCs.
To highlight cellular reprogramming as a potential solution for obtaining naïve hESCs.

Main Methods:

Review of existing evidence on hESC derivation and reprogramming.
Analysis of the characteristics differentiating naïve and primed pluripotency.
Discussion of the implications of public opinion on human embryo research.

Main Results:

Direct isolation of naïve hESCs from human embryos remains difficult and yields inconclusive evidence.
The transient nature of naïve hESCs in vitro may hinder their capture.
Cellular reprogramming has successfully generated naïve hESCs from primed counterparts.

Conclusions:

Challenges in isolating naïve hESCs from human embryos persist.
Cellular reprogramming presents a viable and ethically less contentious method for generating naïve hESCs.
Further research, potentially aided by reprogramming, is needed to fully understand naïve pluripotency.