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Articles on Stem cells

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As an animal model, the zebrafish offers many advantages that save researchers time and money. Uri Manor/NICHD via Flickr

Zebrafish are a scientist’s favorite for early-stage research – especially to study human blood disorders

Of the many qualities that make the zebrafish a model organism, the fact that it shares 70% of the genes humans have makes it an ideal candidate for developmental biology research.
Synthetic human embryos mimic the development of “natural human embryos,” those created by fertilization. (Shutterstock)

Synthetic human embryos could allow for research beyond the 14-day limit, but this raises ethical questions

In June, the possibility of synthetic embryos was announced at a conference. This allows some research to extend beyond the 14-day rule, which restricts experimentation on embryos beyond this period.
The melanocytes in zebrafish stripes share many similarities to those in people. Dan Olsen/iStock via Getty Images Plus

Zebrafish share skin-deep similarities with people, making them helpful models to study skin conditions like vitiligo and melanoma

Zebrafish melanocytes cause diseases similar to those in people when they don’t work properly. Studying how they regenerate after injury could lead to new treatments for hair color loss and vitiligo.
One symptom of arsenic poisoning is the growth of plaques on the skin called arsenical keratosis. Anita Ghosh/REACH via Flickr

Arsenic contamination of food and water is a global public health concern – researchers are studying how it causes cancer

Millions of people worldwide are exposed via soil and water to arsenic, whether naturally occurring or related to pollution. Chronic exposure is linked to the formation of cancer stem cells.
This image shows pancreatic cancer cells (blue) growing, encased within membranes (red). Min Yu/Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at USC via NIH/Flickr

Triggering cancer cells to become normal cells – how stem cell therapies can provide new ways to stop tumors from spreading or growing back

Many tumors have cancer stem cells that help them grow and evade treatments. Differentiation therapy forces these cells to mature, stopping growth with less toxicity than traditional treatments.

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