In an article published earlier today featuring key players in the stem cell industry, International Stem Cell Corp. was labeled as being possibly “the most promising” as the company has developed a breakthrough technology that provides pluripotent stem cells without using viable human embryos and without the issues associated with induced pluripotent stem cells or adult stem cells. Based upon unfertilized human eggs, ISCO’s technology also allows superior immune-matching capabilities.
The idea behind stem cells has in fact been around for a very long time. Ever since the invention of the microscope and the development of cell theory, scientists have known that somehow the complex collection of specialized cells that make up the human body have their origin in a single fertilized egg. It was clear that, somewhere during the earliest stages of the developmental process, cells were being systematically transformed into specialized heart cells or nerve cells or liver cells or blood cells. The term “stem cell” was used as early as the late 1800s, before anything was really known about particular stem cells, but, by the early 1900s, it was recognized that different blood cells were all parented by a particular stem cell. By the early 1960s, there was a better understanding of the operation of bone marrow cells and the production of blood cells, which eventually led to today’s bone marrow transplants, the transplanting of adult stem cells for the treatment of leukemia and other blood related diseases.
As the technology to grow and work with human cells increased in the late 20th century, human stem cell research took off. Soon the first human embryonic stem cell lines were introduced, which scientists were able to use to fully establish the remarkable abilities of stem cells, suggesting their possible use in generating replacement cells for a broad range of tissues and organs. Since then, researchers have gained a deeper knowledge of the different types of stem cells, how to manipulate them, and the applications for which they can be most effectively used.
To read the entire article, which was written by Tony Daltorio, visit http://seekingalpha.com/article/693441
For additional information on ISCO, visit the company’s website at www.internationalstemcell.com
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