Stem cells’ powers of self-renewal, immortality and potential for medicine inspire those who study them. But progress toward understanding them has been slow — it took 20 years just to figure out how to grow embryonic stem cells in the laboratory. More recently, though, molecular techniques have enabled swift movement on two fronts. Researchers are starting to see how stem cells can replenish their numbers while giving rise to specialized cells. Others are learning how to turn adult skin cells into cells more like their embryonic ancestors. These advances offer hope that scientists will soon harness the capabilities of stem cells, at last fulfilling the cells’ promise. 

Reverting adult cells to an embryonic state without creating embryos is a tricky business

The diagnosis is not good; the patient will need surgery. So the doctor plucks a hair from the patient’s head and tells her to come back in a few weeks. When the patient returns, the surgeon patches up the faulty organ by implanting healthy cells generated in the lab from the patient’s hair follicle. After a few months, the new cells have integrated into the organ and the woman’s symptoms recede. A year later, she’s healthy and living a normal life.  Read More...