title: The potential of stem cells.
abstract: Although stem cells have held the fascination of scientists for years, the attention of the general public has recently been captured by the derivation of human embryonic stem cells. In this review we describe the historical experiments leading up to the isolation of human embryonic stem cells and discuss recent advances in our understanding of both embryonic and somatic stem cells. Select examples are used to illustrate the potential of stem cells, both in the sense of their ability to differentiate into specific cell types and in the sense of their power to treat various diseases and conditions. Also discussed are recent studies describing current progress toward the treatment of Parkinson disease, spinal cord injuries, diabetes, and cardiac disease.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Obstetricians & Gynecologists, Family Physicians
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  After completion of this article, the reader will be able to describe the various types of stem cells, outline potential clinical uses of stem cells, and summarize the somatic cell transdifferentiation debate.
authors.affiliation: Center for Reproductive Sciences, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA. kpfendler@geron.com
authors.forename: Kristina C
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Pfendler
authors.forename: Eihachiro
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kawase
mesh_terms: D002454:Cell Differentiation; D000078404:Epidermal Cells; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000166:cytology; D009420:Nervous System / Q000166:cytology; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000628:therapy; D012106:Research; D033581:Stem Cell Transplantation / Q000639:trends*; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000502:physiology*