Saturday Genetics Quiz #44: Stem Cells
Following up on this week’s news that scientists have found genes to control stem cells’ pluripotent ability, this week’s genetics quiz question is:
Why do scientists want to use stem cell lines?
Answer:
From NIH Stem Cell Information:
Once a stem cell line is established from a cell in the body, it is essentially immortal, no matter how it was derived. That is, the researcher using the line will not have to go through the rigorous procedure necessary to isolate stem cells again. Once established, a cell line can be grown in the laboratory indefinitely and cells may be frozen for storage or distribution to other researchers.
Stem cell lines grown in the lab provide scientists with the opportunity to “engineer” them for use in transplantation or treatment of diseases. For example, before scientists can use any type of tissue, organ, or cell for transplantation, they must overcome attempts by a patient’s immune system to reject the transplant. In the future, scientists may be able to modify human stem cell lines in the laboratory by using gene therapy or other techniques to overcome this immune rejection. Scientists might also be able to replace damaged genes or add new genes to stem cells in order to give them characteristics that can ultimately treat diseases.
Technorati Tags: stem cells, embryonic stem cells, genetics, genes, dna, science, health, disease
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3 opinions for Saturday Genetics Quiz #44: Stem Cells
Karen Shacham
Jun 20, 2006 at 7:50 am
Hey There,
My name is Karen Shacham and I work with CNN Pipeline in Atlanta.
I thought you might be interested to know that CNN Pipeline will be featuring a news conference where Senator Brownback will discuss adult and cord blood stem cell research. This news conference will be LIVE on CNN Pipeline today at 1:30PM.
CNN Pipeline is an online, commercial-free, multiple live-news feed. It showcases four simultaneous news feeds from around the world and an on-demand function that allows you to select from a variety of news stories.
Please let your members know that they can go to http://www.cnn.com and click on the CNN Pipeline link to watch it *live* and get a two week free trial.
Thanks,
Karen
Hsien Hsien Lei, PhD
Jun 20, 2006 at 7:55 am
Karen: Thanks for the heads-up! Sounds like a very interesting news conference.
Genetics and Health » PGD and Embryonic Stem Cells
Aug 29, 2006 at 1:28 am
[…] My friend and colleague Kate Baggott has a story in the MIT Technology Review on the ethics of stem cells. She discusses the creation of embryonic stem cells using methods similar to those used in pre-implantation genetic diagnosis where a single cell from an early stage embryo is used to for genetic diagnosis and does not harm the embryo. This same cell can be kept and and used for creating a stem cell line that can be used for therapeutic purposes. That scenario could be limited, however, because only a small percentage of embryos used in IVF clinics actually undergo PGD. “We would certainly not recommend that IVF with PGD should become routine in order to generate a stem cell line for each individual,” says Zev Rosenwaks, director of The Center for Reproductive Medicine and Infertility in New York City. “Other than that, the procedure seems like a perfectly reasonable proposition for cases when PGD is already being performed.” […]
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