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Sources and Derivation of Human Embryonic Stem Cells

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Pluripotent Stem Cells

Part of the book series: Methods in Molecular Biology ((MIMB,volume 997))

Abstract

Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) are pluripotent cells derived from the inner cell mass (ICM) of the developing embryo. hESCs culture as cell lines in vitro and possess great potential in such research fields as developmental biology and cell-based therapy, as well as such industrial purposes as drug screening and toxicology. When ESCs were first derived by Thomson and colleagues, traditional methods of immunostaining and culturing, using primary mouse embryonic fibroblasts and medium supplemented by serum were used. Considerable efforts have since led to improved methods for isolating new lines in defined and reproducible conditions. This chapter discusses sources for embryos for ESC isolation, commonly used methods for deriving hESC lines, and a number of possible culture systems.

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Acknowledgments

The author thanks Mrs. Hadas O’Neill for editing the manuscript. The research conducted was partly supported by Technion Research and Development Foundation (TRDF).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Technion Israel Institute of Technology, Rambam Medical Center, Haifa, Israel

    Michal Amit

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  1. Michal Amit
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. , Primary and Stem Cell Systems, Life Technologies, Van Allen Way 5781, Carlsbad, 92008, California, USA

    Uma Lakshmipathy

  2. , Primary and Stem Cell Systems, Life Technologies, Executive Way 7335, Frederick, 21704, Maryland, USA

    Mohan C Vemuri

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Amit, M. (2013). Sources and Derivation of Human Embryonic Stem Cells. In: Lakshmipathy, U., Vemuri, M. (eds) Pluripotent Stem Cells. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 997. Humana Press, Totowa, NJ. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-62703-348-0_1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-62703-348-0_1

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  • Publisher Name: Humana Press, Totowa, NJ

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