The Discovery

Discovery- Stem cells were first discovered when scientists were trying to determine a method to cure bone marrow disease. They were testing on mice and discovered that they could cure the disease by giving the mice injections from other healthy mice who were genetically related. After a few weeks, they examined the bone marrows of the mice and saw that the marrows contained all types of blood cells in each section, all based off of one bone-marrow cell. Those blood cells are now known as hematopoietic stem cells. Later on, scientists performed a bone marrow transplant from one human being to another human being which was successful. Nowadays, hematopoietic stem cells are used to treat blood diseases. In 1988, researchers developed a way to separate stem cells from non stem cells. In 1996, women with breast cancer were treated with chemotherapy (which was based off of the stem cell chemical research) and four years later, half the women in the test were free of breast cancer. Embryonic stem cells were discovered when embryos that were 3.5 days old were taken out of mice. These embryos were treated with special chemicals and incubators and were put into laboratory dishes. One week later, cells started growing in the dishes which became known as embryonic stem cells. Recent studies have even changed human embryonic stem cells into blood making cells and in Israel, researchers have transformed these cells in cells producing insulin, possibly a cure for diabetes.

Next- Embryonic and Adult Stem Cells