3 ms·

Where are the stem cells coming from?

• JumpCrisscross 1y ago
  > Where are the stem cells coming from? This study appears to have used "human embryonic stem cells (hESCs)" [1]. We haven't tested this with iPSCs [2]. Even if it only works with hESCs, if the part of the population that thinks blastocysts are people wants to live a third or a quarter as long as the part that doesn't, I don't see a problem with that. We're basically going in that direction with vaccination anyway. [1] https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(25)00571-9?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS0092867425005719%3Fshowall%3Dtrue https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(25)00571-9?_re... [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Induced_pluripotent_stem_cell https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Induced_pluripotent_stem_cell
  • nonethewiser 1y ago
    Thank you for the details about this article but that's not quite what I meant. I meant where do you get enough stem cells to make the procedure widely available to the developed world? Stem cells are kinda scarce, as far as I know, so it may gate such a thing.
    • JumpCrisscross 1y ago
      > Stem cells are kinda scarce, as far as I know Embryonic stem cells are rare in America because of religious types. They're not particularly difficult to manufacture or extract--the limit is really human eggs, and we can make those in the lab [1]. (Human sperm are not, for many reasons, difficult to secure.) I'd actually guess hESCs would be the cheapest route. If we insist on iPSCs, then this turns into a personalised medicine treatment. But in that, it's no different from e.g. oncology. [1] https://www.npr.org/2025/09/30/nx-s1-5553322/ivg-human-eggs-cells-fertility https://www.npr.org/2025/09/30/nx-s1-5553322/ivg-human-eggs-...