EMBRYONIC STEM CELLS:
Stem Cells Not So Stealthy After All
Gretchen Vogel
As human embryonic stem (ES) cells differentiate, they
express increasing levels of the telltale tags the body uses to distinguish
between native and foreign cells. The findings, published online this week by
the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, confirm that a
patient's immune system would be likely to reject transplanted tissues derived
from ES cells. Scientists will therefore have to find ways to reconcile the
body's defense system with the transplanted cells.
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