Generation, culture, and differentiation of human embryonic stem cells for therapeutic applications.
Embryonic stem (ES) cells, derived from the inner cell mass of the mammalian blastocyst, can continuously proliferate in an undifferentiated state and can also be induced to differentiate into a desired cell lineage. These abilities make ES cells an appealing source for cell replacement therapies, the study of developmental biology, and drug/toxin screening studies. As compared to mouse ES cells, human ES cells have only recently been derived and studied. Although there are many differences in properties between mouse and human ES cells, the study of mouse ES cells has provided important insights into human ES cell research. In this review, we describe the advantages and disadvantages of methods used for human ES cell derivation, the expansion of human ES cells, and the current status of human ES cell differentiation research. In addition, we discuss the endeavor that scientists have undertaken toward the therapeutic application of these cells, which includes therapeutic cloning and the improvement of human ES cell culture conditions.
Moon
Shin Yong
SY
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medical Research Center, College of Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul 110-744, Korea. shmoon@plaza.snu.ac.kr
Park
Yong Bin
YB
Kim
Dae-Sung
DS
Oh
Sun Kyung
SK
Kim
Dong-Wook
DW
D000818:Animals; D001755:Blastocyst / Q000166:cytology*; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D019070:Cell Lineage; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D015316:Genetic Therapy; D005855:Germ Layers / Q000166:cytology*; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D033581:Stem Cell Transplantation; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology*