title: Back to the beginning--the quest for thymic epithelial stem cells.
abstract: Stem cell-based therapies hold much promise for the rejuvenation of aged or damaged tissues; however, before such cells can be used therapeutically, they must first be accurately identified. In this issue of the European Journal of Immunology it is reported that MTS24, a marker previously associated with progenitor cells of the thymic epithelium, fails to accurately identify epithelial cell populations with the ability to reconstitute a functional thymus. This finding demonstrates that much progress needs to be made before thymic epithelial stem cells can be harnessed for clinical benefit.
authors.affiliation: Department of Developmental Immunology, Max-Planck-Institute of Immunobiology, Freiburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Jeremy B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Swann
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Boehm
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000276:immunology; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000276:immunology*; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000166:cytology* / Q000276:immunology*