How are human embryonic stem cells obtained for research, and at what stage of development?
A. Human embryonic stem cells are obtained for research in two ways. Some come from surplus fertilised eggs donated by couples undergoing in vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatment. These would otherwise be destroyed. Alternatively, embryonic stem cells can be obtained from embryos created using cell nuclear transfer (CNT) [link to relevant section of stem cell science page]. Stem cells can be extracted from embryos after five days of growth – in many countries that allow research on embryos, these can only be worked with until they are 14 days old.
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