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From stem cells to germ cells and back again

Producing germ cells in vitro would open important new avenues for regenerative medicine, and obtaining alternative sources of pluripotent stem cells is desirable. In this regard, Geijsen et al. have shown that it is possible to differentiate stem cells into cells similar to male gametes, whereas Guan et al. reported the ability to turn undifferentiated germ cells into pluripotent stem cells.

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Figure 1: In vitro differentiation of ES cells into gametes and back.

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Conti, M., Giudice, L. From stem cells to germ cells and back again. Nat Med 14, 1188–1190 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1038/nm1108-1188

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