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How human embryonic stem cells sparked a revolution

After 20 years of hope, promise and controversy, human embryonic stem cells are reshaping biological concepts and starting to move into the clinic.
  1. David Cyranoski

    1. David Cyranoski reports for Nature from Shanghai, China.

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Dieter Egli was just about to start graduate school in 1998 when researchers first worked out how to derive human embryonic stem cells. In the two decades since, the prolific cells have been a fixture of his career. The biologist, now at Columbia University in New York City, has used them to explore how DNA from adult cells can be reprogrammed to an embryonic state, and to tackle questions about the development and treatment of diabetes. He has even helped to develop an entirely new form of human embryonic stem cell that could simplify studies on what different human genes do1.

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Nature 555, 428-430 (2018)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-018-03268-4

Updates & Corrections

  • Correction 26 April 2018: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that ViaCyte had restarted a 2014 clinical trial after redesigning its encapsulation technology.

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