Question
What is the current state of stem cell applications?

1. What is the history of hematopoietic stem cell therapy (better known by another name)?
2. What are some plausible near term applications of stem cell therapy?
3. What's stopping them?

Suggestions

• General background:
  
  Scientific American: The Stem Cell Challenge [ BIOTECHNOLOGY ]
  What hurdles stand between the promise of human stem cell therapies and real treatments in the clinic?
  
  NIH Stem Cell Information page: A wealth of information and links
   
• Suggested reading:
  Regeneration of the Infarcted Heart With Stem Cells Derived by Nuclear Transplantation. Circulation Research (2004) 94:820-827. Lanza R et al.
   
• Survey scientific literature for articles on current applications.
  Try:
  
  • PubMed: Go to NCBI, click on PubMed
    
  • Web of Science: Go to VCU Library, click on W,
    then Web of Science
  • NIH Stem Cell Information page, click on Research Topics, then Scientific Literature
   
• Find and read a couple of articles. Note: Online journals often make their articles available only to subscribers... like VCU! For your best shot at getting an article:
  
  • Go to the VCU library web page
  • Click on E-journal (at right)
  • Find your favorite journal
   
• Surf the web (but beware!)

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