Current and progressive es cell research.

In 1998, when researchers first figured out how to obtain human embryonic stem cells, Dieter Egli was about to start a graduate school.
for the 20 years since then, this prolific cell has been associated with Egli's career.
biologist, who now works at Columbia University in the United States, used them to explore how DNA from adult cells can be reprogrammed into embryonic states and solve questions about the occurrence and treatment of diabetes.
Egli has even helped develop a new form of human embryonic stem cells.
it could simplify research into what different human genes do.
extensive research has made Egli a leader in embryonic stem cell biology.
the sector faces the challenge of limited funding and the frenzied pursuit of competitive technologies.
especially similar technologies do not carry the same ethical standards.
, however, many believe that human embryonic stem cells are now more important than ever. "I'm very excited about embryonic stem cells,"
.
"They will lead to unprecedented life-changing discoveries," egli said.
, I have no doubt about it.
" embryonic stem (ES) cells provide high-quality information about early development.
Just as astronomers look back at the Big Bang for basic insights into the universe, biologists explore molecules in these cells for clues about how a single primitive cell turns into trillions of cells and has a dizzying array of forms and functions.
scientists have learned how to turn these cells into dozens of mature cells that represent various tissues and organs in the body.
efforts to repair spinal cord injuries in 2010 have been the result of more than a dozen clinical trials using cells created from ES cells to treat Parkinson's disease, diabetes and other diseases.
early results suggest that some methods are working: a long-awaited report has confirmed that two patients with same-age-related macular degeneration have improved their eyesight.
macular degeneration is a disease that impairs visual acumen.
tentative beginnings in 1981, researchers successfully cultured stem cells from mouse embryos.
they quickly realized the huge potential of the discovery because these cells can replicate themselves and be pushed into any of the body's more than 200 cell types.
However, the technology is not easy to implement in primates. it took James Thomson, a biologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, to successfully use the technology in monkeys
.
three years later, Thomson created the world's first human ES cell line using donated embryos that were not used in fertility treatment.
discovery sparked a moral storm.
critics, mostly from the religious community, argue that embryos form part of humanity and want to block any research involving the destruction of embryos.
2001, President George W. Bush limited government funding to research on only some existing ES cell lines.
the decision forces scientists planning to conduct research in the country to seek private or state funding, and often creates two laboratories -- one for ES cell research and the other for federally funded work.
in other countries, including Germany and Italy, the creation of such cells is completely prohibited.
however, the research continues where it can be carried out. researchers
in Australia, Singapore, Israel, Canada, the United States and other countries quickly reported that they converted embryonic stem cells into neurons, immune cells and beating heart cells.
such research led to perhaps the biggest innovation in the field of regenerative medicine and biology this century: the discovery of induced pluripotent (iPS) cells.
2006, Shinya Yamanaka, a stem cell biologist at Kyoto University in Japan, successfully returned adult mouse cells to an embryonic-like state using just four genetic factors.
The following year, he and Thomson achieved the same feat in human cells.
theory, this process offers the same potential rewards as therapeutic cloning - an unlimited supply of multi-cells that match the patient's genes, without moral dilemmas.
bringing new tools for the study of genetic diseases Researchers are still trying to grow organs.
if the correct signal molecules and 3D environment are obtained, ES cells can form complex tissues called organ-like tissues, even in petri dishes.
this ability is important for researchers such as James Wells of Cincinnati Children's Hospital in Ohio.
Wells is cultured with intestinal organs for testing drugs and may one day be used for organ transplants.
, new sources of ES cells have brought new tools for studying genetic diseases.
for example, in 2004, reproductive physicians in Chicago began using embryos created through in vitro fertilization to produce ES cell lines.
these embryos were found to have genetic defects and therefore could not be used for infertility therapy.
effort to create molecular models of thalassemia, Huntington's disease, Marfan syndrome, muscular dystrophy and other genetic diseases.
2007, researchers used ES cells to illustrate the molecular changes that lead to cognitive impairment seisphane diseases known as brittle X syndrome.
researchers say iPS cells offer more promise for studying disease in a petri dish -- using the ability to grow stem cells from any living person with a suspected genetic disease.
however, many people still see the great potential of ES cells in this field.
ES cells can still act as an auxiliary.
, for example, in 2008, Kevin Eggan from Harvard University produced an iPS cell line from patients with neurodegenerative disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
Eggan learned from previous work using ES cells how to "trick" polypotts into ALS-influenced brain cells - motor neurons.
he can quickly compare the two types of cells when using iPS cells from patients to do the same work.
cells from patients emit more electricity than people who do not have ALS.
"We used all the work done with ES cells to understand motor neurons.
," Eggan said.
now, an anti-epileptic drug that silences iPS cells from patients is being tested in humans.
results are expected in two months.
as important as there was room for previous ES cell studies to rise, if some obstacles could be crossed.
big problem is that producing many cell types can be challenging.
Melton estimates that so far, only about 10 cells have actually functioned as well as ordinary human cells.
at the same time, some of the most far-reaching uses of cells, such as eggs and sperm, will remain a challenge for the foreseeable future.
the sector also faces funding uncertainty.
scientists have heard rumors that U.S. President Donald Trump may impose new restrictions on federal funding for ES cell research.
however, many researchers believe that DESPITE ITS UPS AND downs, ES cells have repeatedly proved their worth in unpredictable ways.
some people have even reduced the use of animal models accordingly, because ES cells seem to provide a better path to studying human diseases.
Yamanaka says ES cells are driving their research on iPS cells.
also a "prescription" for human ES cells, making the transition from mice to human iPS cells a "prescription" within a year.
previously, the transition from mice to humans for various ES cells took nearly 20 years. "We know exactly how human iPS cells should be grown, "
.
," Yamanaka said.
he believes es cells are also critical to understanding the mechanism of multi-energy and improving the medical use of any multi-cell.
"Now, human ES cells are no less important than they were 20 years ago.
I can't imagine that its importance will become less in the future.
"