South Korea takes the lead in stem cells

Last year, a team of scientist from South Korea made the first stem-cell line from cloned human cells. A stem-cell line is a source of cells from a donor that scientists can go back to indefinitely to gather stem cells for study. Recently, the South Korean scienctists have taken the work a big step further by making stem-cell lines from several patients with different diseases, such as autism, diabetes and Parkinson’s. By studying these lines, they may be able to watch how diseases unfold, and develop cures. The cell lines will be used to test new drugs, without risks to human or animal subjects. Despite what you may have heard, science is a long way away from being able to grow complete replacements for deceased organs.

To make a cell line, scientists take a sample of skin cells from a donor. They then suck out the nucleus of each skin cell, and implant it in a human egg whose own nucleus has been removed. The eggs grow into a round structure of cells, a structure that forms early in human development. Scientists remove the stem cells from this structure and transfer them to a place where they can grow until researchers are ready to experiment on them.

Meanwhile, back in the US, stem cell research is being slowed by bioethical controversy and a presidental ban on government funding for stemcell research. “There is a good chance that the US will be left behind as the situation on stem cell research there becomes more fragmented and incoherent,” says UK scientist Stephen Minger, of King’s College London. Link.