Fat cells (yellow) descended from transplanted human mesenchymal stem cells (green) inside of a mouse 28 days after a co-transplantation procedure. The red stain shows mouse fat cells. The blue stain shows cell nuclei. (Credit: Juan Melero-Martin, PhD)
Harvard stem cell scientists have a new theory for how stem cells decide whether to become liver or pancreatic cells during development. A cell’s fate, the researchers found, is determined by the nearby presence of prostaglandin E2, a messenger molecule best known for its role in...
Since the discovery of human embryonic stem cells, scientists have had high hopes for their use in treating a wider variety of diseases because they are pluripotent, which means they are capable of differentiating into one of many cell types in the body.
However, the acquisition of human embryonic stem cells from an embryo can cause the destruction...
Harvard stem cell scientists have a new tool to see how nimble cells are in response to changes in their environment. Rather than looking at the proteins that cells actively make, the researchers surveyed the proteins that cells choose to destroy. This investigation in cell behavior, by...