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Article: Will stem cells transform medicine?
- Article from:
- Baylor University Medical Center Proceedings
- Article date:
- April 1, 2002
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2002 The Baylor University Medical Center. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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In 1998, human pluripotent stem cells--self-renewing, unspecialized cells that can develop into all of the specialized cells of the body--were first isolated and grown in cell culture. Harold Vargus, director of the National Institutes of Health, told the US Congress, "Stem cell research has the potential to revolutionize the practice of medicine and improve the quality and length of life. There is almost no realm of medicine that might not be touched." Illnesses and diseases that cannot be treated effectively by conventional medications and therapies are the driving force for scientists to explore the potential of stem cells to regenerate in place of damaged cells. Can ...