JRSM > Volume 98, Number 11 > Pp. 486

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Letters

Embryonic stem cells—sources and destinations

Daniel Candelario Lopez¹   Eric Scott Sills²

¹ Sint Eustatius University School of Medicine, Statia, Netherlands-Antilles; ² Division of Reproductive Endocrinology & Infertility, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Atlanta Medical Center, Atlanta 30342, USA.

E-mail: dr.sills{at}ivf.com

Vats et al. (August 2005 JRSM¹) are correct in stating that embryonic stem cells (SCs) represent a unique opportunity to study cellular differentiation processes, and that progress in the related arena of tissue engineering depends on generation of suitable cells and their ability to perform specific biological functions. But, as the authors discussed, social and ethical discord has complicated the availability of human embryonic SCs. In the mouse, they have been produced from single blastomeres obtained from nondestructive biopsy of embryos destined for transfer, or from the isolation of karyotypically normal blastomeres from disaggregated (‘dead’) embryos regarded unsuitable for transfer.² As neither of these laboratory techniques harms a viable source embryo, application of such methods to human embryos might satisfy some of the objections currently lodged against this research. Indeed, the successful translation of this work to humans could potentiate further advancements in tissue engineering, where preliminary experiments have shown promise for correction of severe organ pathology.³

REFERENCES

1. Vats A, Tolley NS, Bishop AE, Polak JM. Embryonic stem cells and tissue engineering: delivering stem cells to the clinic. J R Soc Med 2005;98:346 –50[Free Full Text]

2. Sills ES, Takeuchi T, Tanaka N, Neri QV, Palermo GD. Identification and isolation of embryonic stem cells in reproductive endocrinology: theoretical protocols for conservation of human embryos derived from in vitro fertilization. Theor Biol Med Model2005; 2:25[Medline]

3. Hipp J, Atala A. Tissue engineering, stem cells, cloning, and parthenogenesis: new paradigms for therapy. J Exp Clin Assist Reprod 2004;1:3[Medline]

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This Article Full Text (PDF) Send a Quick Comment Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when Quick Comments are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Lopez, D. C. Articles by Sills, E. S. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Social Bookmarking                      What's this?