Stem Cells in Focus

Chinese scientist He Jiankui shocked the world in November 2018 when he reported the birth of twin girls born from genetically altered embryos, with another genetically-altered baby on the way. Although this report of genetic modification has not been, and may never be, independently confirmed due to privacy concerns, the birth of the so-called “

This is a guest post from The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF). MJFF is committed to the pursuit of a Parkinson’s cure and better quality of life for those living with the disease today. Stem cells are valuable tools in that work, helping develop new therapies and learn more about the disease....

An important achievement in stem cell research was recognized in 2012, when the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to two scientists who transformed the field: Shinya Yamanaka and John Gurdon. Together, they received the award for “the discovery that mature cells can be reprogrammed to become pluripotent.” The impact of this...

The heart works tirelessly for a whole lifetime, pumping fresh blood to the far reaches of the body, supplying oxygen and nutrients. When the heart itself is deprived of blood caused by a blocked artery, the affected tissue withers and scars and can no longer beat (see figure below). According to the World Health Organization,...

At one point, we were all just one single cell: a fertilized zygote formed when a sperm and egg fused together. That one cell gave rise to all of the roughly 37 trillion specialized cells that make up each of our bodies today. All the cells from our heads to our toes, every single one...