Regenerative Medicine

Embryonic stem cells have created a whirl of excitement because they differ from any other cells in the body: they are capable of dividing and renewing themselves for long periods; they are unspecialized; and they can give rise to specialized cell types. Embryonic stem cells provide a continuous source of specific cell types in the laboratory. Under certain physiologic or experimental conditions, embryonic stem cells can be induced in the laboratory to become cells with special functions such as the beating cells of the heart muscle, the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas, and the neurotransmitter-producing neurons.

Many years of detailed study of the biology of mouse embryonic stem cells led to the discovery, in 1998, of how to isolate these stem cells from human embryos and grow the cells in the laboratory. These embryos, created through in vitro fertilization procedures, were donated for research with the informed consent of the donor once they were no longer needed for infertility purposes.

One of the most important potential applications of human embryonic stem cells is the generation of cells and tissues in the laboratory that could be used for cell-based therapies and tissue repair. Today, the need for transplantable tissues and organs far outweighs the available supply. Embryonic stem cells, directed to differentiate into specific cell types, offer the possibility of a renewable source of replacement cells and tissues to treat debilitating diseases including Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases, spinal cord injury, stroke, burns, heart disease, diabetes, arthritis among others.

Someday in the foreseeable future, these and many other major diseases that plague our society today will be treatable with gene and cell therapies. The Department of Gene and Cell Medicine is poised to tackle this exciting new frontier in biomedical research, from basic science to clinical translation.