Why use embryonic stem cells when adult stem cells are available?
Embryonic stem cells have some distinct advantages over adult stem cells. Foremost are their unique qualities to become any cell or tissue in the body and to reproduce indefinitely in culture. The latter suggests that limitless cells or tissues could be made available for therapy and research. No adult stem cell has these capabilities. Moreover, embryonic stem cells provide the only window we have to the earliest stages of human development. It is at this stage of development that the stage is set for the development of chronic disease. Basic studies of human embryonic stem cells promise an understanding of the human body that could surpass any contributions the cells may make to transplant medicine.
