Dec. 4, 2001 MADISON - In a set of meticulous experiments,
scientists have demonstrated the ability of human embryonic stem
cells to develop into nascent brain cells and, seeded into the
intact brains of baby mice, further develop into healthy,
functioning neural cells. In a paper published in the journal
Nature Biotechnology (December, 2001), a team of scientists from
the University of Wisconsin-Madison, along with colleagues from
the University of Bonn Medical Center, show that the blank-slate
stem cells taken from early human embryos can, in a laboratory
dish, be guided down the developmental pathway to becoming
precursor brain cells. Transplanted into the brains of baby
mice, the precursor cells subsequently showed their ability to
further differentiate into neurons and astrocytes, the cell
species that populate the different regions of the brain and
spinal cord. The work represents a critical step toward a high-
stakes payoff for human embryonic stem cell technology - an
inexhaustible supply of transplant