Strategies for enrichment and selection of stem cell-derived tissue precursors
1 Department of Pediatrics (Cardiology), University of California San Francisco, 513 Parnassus Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94143-1346, USA
2 Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regeneration Medicine and Stem Cell Research, University of California San Francisco, 35 Medical Center Way, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
3 Cardiovascular Research Institute, University of California San Francisco, 555 Mission Bay Boulevard South, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
4 Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California San Francisco, 1450 Third Street, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
Stem Cell Research & Therapy 2012, 3:17 doi:10.1186/scrt108
Published: 10 May 2012Abstract
Human embryonic stem cells have the capacity for self-renewal and pluripotency and thus are a primary candidate for tissue engineering and regenerative therapies. These cells also provide an opportunity to study the development of human tissues ex vivo. To date, numerous human embryonic stem cell lines have been derived and characterized. In this review, we will detail the strategies used to direct tissue-specific differentiation of embryonic stem cells. We also will discuss how these strategies have produced new sources of tissue-specific progenitor cells. Finally, we will describe the next generation of methods being developed to identify and select stem cell-derived tissue precursors for experimental study and clinical use.
