On the practical side, the topics range from the problems of deriving human embryonic stem cells and driving their differentiation along specific lineages, regulating their development into mature cells, and bringing stem cell therapy to clinical trials.

Part I. Policy Ethical Issues Associated with Pluripotent Stem Cells Steve Usdin A Researcher's Guide to Federally Funded Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research in the United States Gregory J. Downing Intellectual Property of Human Pluripotent Stem Cells Mark L. Rohrbaugh Part II. Types of Pluripotent Cells Embryonal Carcinoma Cells: The Malignant Counterparts of ES and EG Cells Jonathan S. Draper, Harry Moore, and Peter W. Andrews Human Pluripotent Cells from Bone Marrow Felipe Prosper and Catherine M. Verfaillie Protocols for the Isolation and Maintenance of Human Embryonic Stem Cells Melissa K. Carpenter, Chunhui Xu, Christine A. Daigh, Jessica E. Antosiewicz, and James A. Thomson Subcloning and Alternative Methods for the Derivation and Culture of Human Embryonic Stem Cells Michal Amit, Hanna Segev, Dorit Manor, and Joseph Itskovitz-Eldor Part III. Differentiation Differentiation of Neuroepithelia from Human Embryonic Stem Cells Su-Chun Zhang Pancreatic Differentiation of Pluripotent Stem Cells Nadya Lumelsky Human Embryonic Stem Cell-Derived Cardiomyocytes: Derivation and Characterization Chunhui Xu and Melissa K. Carpenter Vascular Lineage Differentiation from Human Embryonic Stem Cells Sharon Gerecht Nir and Joseph Itskovitz-Eldor Hematopoietic Progenitors Derived from Human Embryonic Stem Cells Dan S. Kaufman Part IV. Therapeutics Human Embryonic vs Adult Stem Cells for Transplantation Therapies Calvin B. Harley and Mahendra S. Rao Genetic Manipulation of Human Embryonic Stem Cells Micha Drukker and Nissim Benvenisty Human Therapeutic Cloning Jose B. Cibelli Therapeutic Uses of Embryonic Stem Cells Alexander Kamb, Mani Ramaswami, and Mahendra S. Rao Human Embryonic Stem Cells and the Food and Drug Administration: Assuring the Safety of Novel Cellular Therapies Donald W. Fink, Jr. Studies of a Human Neuron-Like Cell Line in Stroke and Spinal Cord Injury: Preclinical and Clinical Perspectives Paul J. Reier, John Q. Trojanowski, Virginia M-Y. Lee, and Margaret J. Velardo Appendix I: Cell Lines and Companies Involved with Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research Appendix II: Useful Websites

Although there is great interest in the potential for using stem cells as cell replacements and other treatments for diseases that currently have no cure, research on the biology of human embryonic stem cells is still in its infancy. In Human Embryonic Stem Cells, pioneers, leaders, and experts in this emerging field join forces to address all the key issues in the use of human pluripotent stem cells for treating degenerative diseases or for replacing tissues lost from trauma. On the practical side, these topics range from the problems of deriving human embryonic stem cells and driving their differentiation along specific lineages, regulating their development into mature cells, and bringing stem cell therapy to clinical trials. The authors cover the criteria used by investigators in different fields to recognize mature phenotypes of specific tissues. Regulatory issues are addressed in discussions of the ethical debate surrounding the derivation of human embryonic stem cells and the current policies governing their use in the United States and abroad, including the rules and conditions regulating federal funding and questions of intellectual property. Reviewing the most pressing issues involved in human embryonic stem cell research, Human Embryonic Stem Cells, provides an invaluable sourcebook for researchers seeking a review of their basic biology and an unbiased assessment of their potential for new therapies.

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