What is the difference between cord blood banking and stem cell research on human embryos?
The type of stem cell most often discussed in the news is an embryonic stem cell. During fertilization, a sperm cell unites with an egg cell, and begins to reproduce by dividing into different cells. These cells begin to arrange themselves into an outer ring of cells that enclose an inner cell mass called a blastocyst. Researchers have collected these inner cells and discovered that they can be made to develop into many types of specialized cells in the body.
