embryonic stem cell

Cultural  

1. Cells obtained from an embryo in the blastula phase, when they are still only a few days old. Because they have only begun to differentiate, these cells have the capability of developing into any cell in the human body, a fact which makes them potentially important in medicine. (See stem cell.)

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Example Sentences

The policy was based on a misunderstanding of embryonic stem cell science, which made it, in Mooney’s words, “a policy based on science fiction.”

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 13, 2025

They started with a human embryonic stem cell, editing its TKTL1 gene so that it no longer had the human mutation.

From New York Times • Sep. 8, 2022

US President Barack Obama lifts the ban on federal funding of new human embryonic stem cell lines.

From Nature • Dec. 6, 2016

Surgeons in London have carried out a pioneering human embryonic stem cell operation in an ongoing trial to find a cure for blindness for many patients.

From BBC • Sep. 28, 2015

And, the DNA in an embryonic stem cell would differ from the DNA of the person being treated, which could result in immune problems or rejected of tissue.

From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013