The
Scientific American reports what many of us already know, that embryonic
stem cells are often rejected by donor’s bodies, unlike adult and umbilical
cord stem cells. Excerpt:
The much-ballyhooed human embryonic stem
cell apparently may share a problem with transplanted organs: a high
probability of rejection.
Researchers at Stanford University School
of Medicine found that mice mounted an immune response after being injected
with human embryonic stem cells (hESCs). The result: all the transplanted stem
cells—which hold the promise of maturing into several different types of
tissue—were dead within a week.