Source: University of Wisconsin-Madison
Date: August 10, 2009
Summary:
In an advance that could help transform embryonic stem cells into a multipurpose medical tool, scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have transformed these versatile cells into progenitors of white blood cells and into six types of mature white blood and immune cells. While clinical use is some years away, the new technique could produce cells with enormous potential for studying the development and treatment of disease. The technique works equally well with stem cells grown from an embryo and with adult pluripotent stem cells, which are derived from adult cells that have been converted until they resemble embryonic stem cells. Eventually they found a recipe that would cause the cells to move through a process of progressive specialization into a variety of adult cells. Slukvin's study was published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.
