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Diagram showing the locations of neural stem cells in brain regions such as the hippocampus and ventricles, and hematopoietic stem cells in the bone marrow and blood, with labeled illustrations of the brain, spinal cord, circulatory system, and skeleton. The differentiation of embryonic stem cells Diagram illustrating the process of bone marrow transplantation, showing how stem cells are collected from a donor's blood or bone marrow, separated and selected, cryopreserved, thawed, diluted, and then infused into a patient who has undergone chemotherapy or radiation therapy. This diagram illustrates the cloning process of Dolly the sheep in 1996, showing how a nucleus from an adult Finn Dorset ewe was fused with an enucleated egg cell from a Scottish Blackface ewe, then implanted into a surrogate to produce Dolly.
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Learn about medical tourism and clinical trials of stem cell treatment and the risk associated with it
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stem cell: References & Edit History

Article Contributors

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  • ANGEL JIMENEZ

Other Encyclopedia Britannica Contributors

Article History

Type Description Contributor Date
Modified link of Web site: National Center for Biotechnology Information - PubMed Central - Stem cells: a comprehensive review of origins and emerging clinical roles in medical practice. Oct 08, 2026
Add new Web site: Open Library Publishing Platform - Selected Topics in Health and Disease - Overview of Stem Cells and Their Potential as a Therapeutic. Feb 27, 2026
Add new Web site: Pew Research Center - The Science Behind Stem Cell Research. Jul 05, 2025
Add new Web site: University of Missouri–St. Louis - Absolute Value Equations. May 27, 2025
Cross references added. Jan 16, 2025
Add new Web site: Frontiers - Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology - Autophagy: mechanisms, roles in human diseases, and therapeutic perspectives. Aug 23, 2024
Add new Web site: Cleveland Clinic - Stem Cells. Apr 24, 2024
Add new Web site: University of Nebraska Medical Center - Stem Cells - What are Stem Cells? Nov 03, 2023
Add new Web site: YourGenome - What is a stem cell? May 27, 2023
Add new Web site: Healthline - Stem Cell Research. Mar 11, 2023
Add new Web site: Biology LibreTexts - Stem Cells. Jan 26, 2023
Add new Web site: National Center for Biotechnology Information - PubMed Central - Stem cells: a comprehensive review of origins and emerging clinical roles in medical practice. Sep 28, 2022
Added information on the generation of human blastocyst-like structures, reported in 2021. Mar 29, 2021
Add new Web site: Your Genome - What is a stem cell? Jan 18, 2019
Corrected display issue. Jul 03, 2018
Add new Web site: American Cancer Society - Stem Cell Transplant for Cancer. Jan 03, 2018
Add new Web site: Library of Congress - Science Reference Services - What are Stem Cells? Dec 09, 2016
Added an image showing embryonic stem cells differentiating into neurons. Mar 08, 2016
Add new Web site: McEwen Centre for Regenerative Medicine - What are stem cells? Sep 05, 2013
Added mention of the first successful derivation of human embryonic stem cells from cloned human embryos. May 16, 2013
Add new Web site: Discovery - Science - Stem Cells Quiz. Jan 28, 2013
Add new Web site: Stem Cell Information - Stem Cell Basics. Jan 28, 2013
Add new Web site: Official Site of Stem Cells Online. Jan 28, 2013
Add new Web site: Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy - Ethics of Stem Cell Research. Jan 28, 2013
Add new Web site: Learn.Genetics - Genetic Science Learning Center - Stem Cells. Jan 25, 2013
Add new Web site: American Cancer Society - Stem Cell Transplant for Cancer. Jan 25, 2013
Add new Web site: KidsHealth - For Parents - Stem Cell Transplant. Jan 25, 2013
Add new Web site: Mayo Clinic - Stem cells: What they are and what they do. Jan 25, 2013
Add new Web site: Buzzle.com - Stem Cell. Jan 25, 2013
Updated to mention that the first clinical trial to test an embryonic-stem-cell-based therapy was halted in late 2011 due to a lack of funding and change in the lead company's business directives. Nov 29, 2011
Added mention of research investigating the possibility of combining induced pluripotent stem cell technology with gene therapy. Nov 29, 2011
Added information on cardiac stem cells and cell dedifferentiation. Nov 29, 2011
Added information on the first human embryonic stem cell-based therapy to be approved for testing in clinical trials. Jul 30, 2010
Changed "immunocompetent" to "immunosuppressed." Dec 31, 2009
Added information on the generation of retinal cells from genetically reprogrammed skin cells. Aug 26, 2009
Added link to Britannica Blog post on stem cell policy written by Jonathan Slack. Feb 18, 2009
Added new Web site: How Stuff Works - Science - Stem Cell. Feb 06, 2009
Added new Web site: How Stuff Works - Science - How Stem Cells Work. Feb 06, 2009
Updated to include information on the use of induced pluripotent stem cells as models of genetic disease. Jan 05, 2009
Updated to include information on the use of mesenchymal stem cells in tissue engineering. Dec 01, 2008
Cross-references revised. Nov 20, 2008
Added new Web site: How Stuff Works - Healthguide - Stem Cell Research. Oct 13, 2008
Added new Web site: How Stuff Works - Health - What Are Stem Cells And What Are They Used For? Jul 31, 2008
Updated to include information about SCNT and induced pluripotent stem cells. Dec 28, 2007
Article revised and updated. Oct 25, 2007
New article added. May 12, 2005
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