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Term Stem Cell used in Scientific Literature
The term stem cell appears in the scientific literature as early as 1868 in the works of the eminent German biologist Ernst Haeckel. Haeckel used the term “Stammzelle” (German for stem cell) to describe the ancestor unicellular organism from which he presumed all multicellular organisms evolved -
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Stem cell History
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Cell Ancestry discussed in the embryonic context
Russian Academic Alexander A. Maximow lectured at a Berlin Hematological Society Meeting on the theory that all blood cells come from the same ancestor cell. He lectured on the topic that the lymphocyte as a stem cell, common to different blood elements in embryonic development and during the post-fetal life of mammals -
Undifferentiated cells in cancer tumor in mice were found to be pluripotent
Leroy Stevens, a junior researcher at the Jackson Laboratory in Bar Harbor, Maine, was assigned to look for outward signs of cancer in mice in the form of large tumors. These tumors contain a mixture of differentiated and undifferentiated cells. Researchers at the Jackson Laboratory found that the undifferentiated cells were pluripotent. -
First bone marrow transplants performed in human patients
First bone marrow transplants performed in human patients -
Nuclei from adult frog cells reprogrammed to full embryonic potential after transfer into frog eggs
Nuclei from adult frog cells reprogrammed to full embryonic potential after transfer into frog eggs -
Experiments in mice prove the existence of resident blood stem cells in marrow
Experiments in mice prove the existence of resident blood stem cells in marrow -
The existence and properties of transplantable stem cells in mouse bone marrow are established
The existence and properties of transplantable stem cells in mouse bone marrow are established and the first colony methodology for counting them is introduced. This discovery set the stage for all current research on adult and embryonic stem cells -
Stem cells have the capacity for self-renewal, and stem cells can differentiate into more specialized cells.
Ernest McCulloch and James Till at the Ontario Cancer Institute exposed mice to lethal doses of radiation and then injected the mice with bone marrow cells. They found the more marrow given to the mice, the greater chance the mice survived. They defined two properties of stem cells. First, that stem cells have the capacity for self-renewal, and second that stem cells can differentiate into more specialized cells. -
First successful bone marrow transplant on a child patient
Robert A. Good of the University of Minnesota performed the first successful bone marrow transplant on a child patient suffering from an immune deficiency that killed others in his family. -
First application of cell separation technology to dissect marrow stem cell hierarchy
First application of cell separation technology to dissect marrow stem cell hierarchy -
Mouse embryonic cancer cells are shown to participate in the development of normal tissues as well as teratomas
Mouse embryonic cancer cells are shown to participate in the development of normal tissues as well as teratomas -
Transplantable stem cells are discovered in human cord blood
Transplantable stem cells are discovered in human cord blood -
Embryonic stem cells are first derived from the inner cell mass of mouse blastocysts
Embryonic stem cells are first derived from the inner cell mass of mouse blastocysts -
Marrow stem cells measured by regenerative capacity in vivo are shown to be distinct from progenitors measured by colony methods
Marrow stem cells measured by regenerative capacity in vivo are shown to be distinct from progenitors measured by colony methods -
Blood stem cells measured by colony formation in vivo are first extensively purified
Blood stem cells measured by colony formation in vivo are first extensively purified -
Being able to convert one type of adult cell into another
Andrew Lassar and Harold Weintraub conducted an experiment in which they converted rodent fibroblasts directly into myoblasts by utilizing a single gene. Being able to convert one type of adult cell into another becomes very important for regenerative medicine later. -
Mario Capecchi, Martin Evans, and Oliver Smithies created the first “knockout” mice, which were mice bred with the specific purpose of missing certain genes
Mario Capecchi, Martin Evans, and Oliver Smithies created the first “knockout” mice, which were mice bred with the specific purpose of missing certain genes. These mice were created by utilizing embryonic stem cells and homologous recombination. This research proved to be invaluable in understanding how various human diseases develop. -
Mouse marrow regenerating stem cells are first completely separated from in vivo colony-forming cells.
Mouse marrow regenerating stem cells are first completely separated from in vivo colony-forming cells. -
Neural stem cells identified in the adult human brain for the first time.
Neural stem cells identified in the adult human brain for the first time. -
Pluripotency of embryonic stem cells is proven through the generation of entirely embryonic stem cell-derived mice.
Pluripotency of embryonic stem cells is proven through the generation of entirely embryonic stem cell-derived mice. -
First separation of cancer stem cells from the majority of cells.
First separation of cancer stem cells from the majority of cells. -
First derivation of primate embryonic stem cell lines
First derivation of primate embryonic stem cell lines -
First cloning of a mammal: Dolly the sheep is born
First cloning of a mammal: Dolly the sheep is born -
Dominique Bonnet and John Dick discover that leukemia comes from the same stem cells that differentiate into blood cells.
Dominique Bonnet and John Dick discover that leukemia comes from the same stem cells that differentiate into blood cells. This is one of the first major studies to say that cancer grows out of stem cells gone off course, supporting the concept of “cancer stem cells.” -
A team led by James Thompson and Jeffrey Jones created the first batch of human embryonic stem cells, which were derived from early embryos.
A team led by James Thompson and Jeffrey Jones created the first batch of human embryonic stem cells, which were derived from early embryos. The team also discovered that the cells were pluripotent. -
Retinal stem cells identified in mice
Retinal stem cells identified in mice -
President Bush authorized the use of federal funds for a number of existing human embryonic stem cell lines.
President Bush authorized the use of federal funds for a number of existing human embryonic stem cell lines. This marked the beginning of government funded stem cell research. -
First complete purification from mice of multipotent marrow stem cells capable as single injected cells of extended marrow regeneration in vivo.
First complete purification from mice of multipotent marrow stem cells capable as single injected cells of extended marrow regeneration in vivo. -
George Q. Daley and his team publish their results on converting stem cells from mice into germ cells and eventually, primitive sperm cells that are able to fertilize egg cells.
George Q. Daley and his team publish their results on converting stem cells from mice into germ cells and eventually, primitive sperm cells that are able to fertilize egg cells. -
South Korean scientists announced that they have used therapeutic cloning to create 11 stem cell lines that match their donors.
South Korean scientists announced that they have used therapeutic cloning to create 11 stem cell lines that match their donors. These findings were the first time that the immune systems of patients would be unlikely to reject the transplants, which was a common problem. -
James Till and Ernest McCulloch win the Lasker Prize for experiments that first identified stem cells
James Till and Ernest McCulloch win the Lasker Prize for experiments that first identified stem cells and set the stage for all current research on adult and embryonic stem cells -
George Q. Daley and colleagues at Children’s report the creation of donor-matched embryonic stem cells in mice through parthenogenesis.
George Q. Daley and colleagues at Children’s report the creation of donor-matched embryonic stem cells in mice through parthenogenesis. The team hoped to one day use patient-specific, parthenogenetic stem cells for therapies in their female donors, whose immune systems are unlikely to reject the cells. -
Three independent teams in Japan announced that they have created human iPS cells that Genetically matched to their donor
Three independent teams in Japan, Wisconsin and Boston, led by Shinya Yamanaka, James Thomson, and George Q. Daley, respectively, announced that they have created human iPS cells. Genetically matched to their donor, iPS cells would theoretically not be rejected by the immune system, an important advantage in transplantation medicine. -
The Stem Cell Program at Boston Children’s Hospital announced the creation of 10 disease-specific lines of iPS cells.
The Stem Cell Program at Boston Children’s Hospital announced the creation of 10 disease-specific lines of iPS cells. These cells provide scientists with laboratory models of diseases such as Down syndrome and muscular dystrophy, and will help them find innovative ways to understand, prevent and treat such diseases. -
Adult cells reprogrammed directly to neurons, cardiac muscle and blood cells
Adult cells reprogrammed directly to neurons, cardiac muscle and blood cells -
Isolation of multipotent human blood stem cells capable of forming all cells in the blood system
Isolation of multipotent human blood stem cells capable of forming all cells in the blood system