Israeli Research Opens Door for Stem Cell Revolution

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There are many today who believe that stem cells will one day be used to treat or even cure a variety of the world’s deadliest diseases. That day is now one day closer thanks to the work being done by the Hadassah Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research Center. With the capacity to generate any cell type which may be needed in the human body, embryonic stem cells are a powerful tool that have yet to be completely harnessed. One of the many complicating factors involves the production of hESCs (that’s science speak for human embryonic stem cells).

Led by Dr. Deborah Steiner’s research, which has been published in this month’s issue of Nature Biotechnology Journal, her team discovered a more effective way to produce hESCs in large quantities while still retaining quality. The key lies in the culture medium used to grow the cells. The Israeli researchers found a way to grow hESCs in a liquid, or free-floating substrate as opposed to the old method of having cells lying on a flat surface, which placed a limit on the quantity which could be produced. Said Professor Benjamin Rubinoff, director of the Hadassah Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research Center, “the study’s findings are an important step ahead of an automatic and controlled creation of the large amounts of cells needed for transplant and other industrial and research purposes.”

Scientific progress moves at such a blistering pace, and this is the kind of “jump starting” research that looks to change the game virtually overnight. With the first method of large scale production of hESCs now discovered, the rate of future discoveries and life-changing stem cell research will only get here faster.

We thank Ynet for this story.

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