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 1 of 4 DOCUMENTS Policy Papers June 13, 2001 Stem Cell Research AUTHOR: Johnson, Judith A. ISSUED-BY: Congressional Research Service LENGTH: 4783 words page 1 Background: Basic Research and Potential Applications Basic Research. Although most cells within an animal or human being are committed to fulfilling a single function in an organ like the skin or heart, a unique and important set of cells exists which is not so specialized. These stem cells--cells which retain the ability to become many or all of the different cell types in the body--play a critical role in repairing organs and body tissues throughout life. Although the term "stem cells" refers to these repair cells within an adult organism, a more fundamental variety of stem cells is found in the early stage embryo. These embryonic stem cells have a greater ability to become different types of body cells than adult stem cells. The earliest embryonic stem cells are referred to as totipotent, indicating that they can develop into an entire organism because they can produce both the embryo and the tissues required to support it in the uterus. Later in development, embryonic stem cells lose the ability to form these supporting tissues, but are still able to develop into almost any cell type found in the body. These pluripotent embryonic stem cells are the current focus of intense research interest. Embryonic stem cells were first isolated from mice in 1981 and until recently, scientists have used only a ...
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