Single embryonic stem cell-derived embryoid bodies for gene screening

Shake(speare) While those embroiled in the debate over the use of embryonic stem (ES) cells in scientific research “take arms against a sea of troubles” in state and federal legislatures, down in the labyrinthine halls of many research institutions, the research continues unabated: to figure out what gives ES cells their unique potency and how it can be manipulated to treat the many frailties “that flesh is heir to.” Important and essential in vitro studies attempt to shed light on the elusive and mysterious pluripotency of these cells and elucidate the molecular triggers that signal any one particular cell to travel down any one particular differentiation pathway. Using a variety of approaches, such as gene trapping, those genes involved in regulation of differentiation can be identified and targeted. In order to perform such experiments, however, it is necessary to be able to track the molecular changes of the clonal progeny of a single cell as they differentiate and divide to form so-called embryoid bo...