State of Stem
The Los Angeles Business Journal takes a look at the current state of embryonic stem cell research in their part of the world. "At UCLA, researchers now working with stem cells from rats hope to one day fix damaged spinal cords and brains. Cedars-Sinai Medical Center researchers, using adult neural stem cells, are conquering brain tumors in mice, and researchers at the City of Hope are trying to grow human embryonic stem cells to produce human insulin. They're all hoping to secure some grant money from the newly formed California Institute of Regenerative Medicine, an outgrowth of Proposition 71." As the article notes, this research is still early stage: much improvement is needed in even the basic processes of managing stem cell lines and controlling differentiation.