Pluripotent Stem Cells Everywhere

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Betterhumans notes more progress in the discovery and manipulation of pluripotent adult stem cells. "Stem cells from hair follicles can develop into neurons, muscle and more, suggesting that hair is a potent and accessible source of cells for regenerating tissues." Judging from progress to date, I would expect to see more reserves of potentially very useful stem cells found in the adult body - research into regenerative medicine should benefit accordingly. Therapies most likely to be accelerated by this and similar lines of research are those aiming to replace comparatively small populations of damaged cells in the body - good examples of the type are cures for age-related diabetes or Parkinson's.

Link: http://www.betterhumans.com/News/news.aspx?articleID=2005-03-28-3