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Nature 416, 354 (28 March 2002) | doi:10.1038/416354a

Open Innovation Challenges

Biologists question adult stem-cell versatility

Natalie DeWitt & Jonathan Knight

A fresh debate has broken out over the importance of adult stem cells, in the wake of new evidence that their potential usefulness in medicine has been exaggerated.Many researchers believe that embryonic stem cells, which can develop into any type of cell in the body, could revolutionize treatments for conditions ranging from heart disease to Parkinson's disease.