Nice bit of work there. Maybe this can pass the morality test that is holding back funding from the fed.
In previous research, Robert Lanza and his colleagues at Advanced Cell Technology had shown that single-cell biopsies done on mouse embryos--similar to those used for genetic diagnosis prior to a human embryo's implantation--might allow for the cultivation of stem cell lines without discernible impact. The team thawed 16 human embryos that had gone unused by parents pursuing in vitro fertilization. The scientists separated single cells, known as blastomeres, from the embryos and cultivated them separately.
More than half of the blastomeres continued to divide and the researchers were able to cultivate specific target cells, such as endothelial cells. The shape, growth and abilities of these cells closely matched those of stem cells derived from other techniques. Overall, in 10 separate experiments, they created 19 embryonic stem cell-like growths as well as two cell lines capable of continuous production. "We believe the success rate can be further increased by optimizing conditions at the earliest stages of blastomere outgrowth," the researchers write in the paper presenting the finding, published online by Nature today.
I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this gets replicated and verified quickly. It would be nice to see some litheness from our government, but I won't hold my breath. Especially since I have a feeling that the moral qualms will be very hard to iron out.
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