title: [Human embryonic stem cells: practical problems and scientific potentialities].
abstract: Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) are derived from pre-implantation embryos given to research with the informed consent of the parents. These cells cannot give rise to a human being: they are not totipotent. They have an unlimited self-renewal capacity and they can generate the three embryonic germ layers, their respective derivatives and the extra-embryonic tissues: they are pluripotent. These cells represent an outstanding material for understanding functional genomics of not yet characterized human genes. They will be an important tool for pharmaceutical and clinical research.
authors.affiliation: Centre national de la recherche scientifique, UPR 9045 oncologie virale, institut André-Lwoff, 7, rue Guy-Moquet, 94800 Villejuif, France. ahatzfel@vjf.cnrs.fr
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hatzfeld
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Peiffer
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hatzfeld
mesh_terms: D001755:Blastocyst / Q000166:cytology*; D002455:Cell Division; D006412:Hematopoietic Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D039904:Pluripotent Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology*; D012106:Research; D033581:Stem Cell Transplantation