The
National Bioethics Advisory Commission employs the distinction as introduced by
Harold Varmus, then <!g>NIH director, at a hearing in January 1999. <!g>Totipotent cells have "unlimited
capacity. Totipotent cells have the capacity to differentiate into the <!g>embryo
and into extra-embryonic membranes and tissues. <!g>Pluripotent cells "can generate all of the cell types
in a <!g>fetus and in the adult that are capable of self-renewal. Pluripotent cells
are not capable of developing into an entire organism." Ethical Issues in Human <!g>Stem Cell Research
(September 1999) by NBAC, 6100 Executive Boulevard, Suite 5B01, Rockville,
Maryland 20892-7508; www.bioethics.gov.
To return to the previous topic,
click on your browser's 'Back' button. |
|