EMBRYONIC STEM CELLS for MEDICINE:
Cells able to generate virtually all other cell types have recently been isolated. One day they could help repair a wide variety of damaged tissues.

By Roger A. Pedersen

Cultured cells derived from early human embryos may eventually be coaxed to developing into replacement tissue for damaged organs, such as the heart.

Your friend suffered a heart attack while hiking in a remote region of a national park. By the time he reaches a hospital, only one third of his heart is still working, and he seems unlikely to return to his formerly active life. Always the adventurer though, he volunteers for an experimental treatment. He provides a small sample of skin cells. Technicians remove the genetic material from the cells and inject it into donated human eggs from which the chromosomes have been removed. These altered eggs are grown for one week in a laboratory, where they develop into early-stage embryos. The embryos yield cells that can be cultured to produce what are called embryonic stem cells. Such cells are able to form heart muscle cells, as well as other cell types.

The medical team therefore establishes a culture of embryonic stem cells and grows them under conditions that induce them to begin developing into heart cells. Being a perfect genetic match for your friend, these cells can be transplanted into his heart without causing his immune system to reject them. They grow and replace cells lost during the heart attack, returning him to health and strength.

Excerpts from Embryonic Stem Cells for Medicine
SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN April 1999
Vol. 280 No.4 Pages 68 thru 73