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Science 15 March 2002:
Vol. 295. no. 5562, pp. 1989 - 1991
DOI: 10.1126/science.295.5562.1989
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News of the Week

STEM CELL RESEARCH:
Studies Cast Doubt on Plasticity of Adult Cells

Gretchen Vogel

Numerous reports have suggested that adult stem cells can morph into many types of cells, raising hopes that adult cells could eventually be used to treat diseases--without the ethical baggage that accompanies human embryonic stem cells. Now two papers in this week's early online publication of Nature suggest that some of the surprising plasticity of adult stem cells might be explained by simple cell fusion, not "reprogramming." The new evidence does not explain away all of the potential of adult stem cells, but it does raise a caution.

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THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
From Stem Cells to Viable Autologous Semilunar Heart Valve.
F. W.H. Sutherland, T. E. Perry, Y. Yu, M. C. Sherwood, E. Rabkin, Y. Masuda, G. A. Garcia, D. L. McLellan, G. C. Engelmayr Jr, M. S. Sacks, et al. (2005)
Circulation 111, 2783-2791
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Hematopoietic stem cells: can old cells learn new tricks?.
A. D. Ho and M. Punzel (2003)
J. Leukoc. Biol. 73, 547-555
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »


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