title: A brief review of recent advances in stem cell biology.
abstract: Stem cells have the remarkable potential to develop into many different cell types, essentially without limit to replenish other cells as long as the person or animal is still alive, offering immense hope of curing Alzheimer's disease, repairing damaged spinal cords, treating kidney, liver and lung diseases and making damaged hearts whole. Until recently, scientists primarily worked with two kinds of stem cells from animals and humans: embryonic stem cells and non-embryonic "somatic" or "adult" stem cells. Recent breakthrough make it possible to convert or "reprogram" specialized adult cells to assume a stem stem-like cells with different technologies. The review will briefly discuss the recent progresses in this area.
authors.affiliation: Stark Neuroscience Research Institute and Department of Neurological Surgery, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA.
authors.forename: Jinhui
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Guangdong-Hongkong-Macau Institute of CNS Regeneration (GHMICR), Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China.
authors.forename: Libing
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China.
authors.forename: Su-Yue
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Pan
keywords: adult stem cell; embryonic stem cell; induced pluripotent stem cell; somatic cell nuclear transfer; stem cell; stimulus-triggered acquisition of pluripotency