ABSTRACT
Embryonic stem (ES) cells are pluripotent cells that can be maintained indefinitely in culture as undifferentiated cell lines, yet retain their ability to form any cell type. The derivation of human embryonic stem cells provides a new model system to learn about human developmental biology. These cells may also be a suitable starting point to produce novel cell-based therapies to treat a variety of diseases. This chapter describes the characteristics of human embryonic cells and the potential of these cells to be used for hematopoietic cell transplantation, tolerance induction, and treatment of autoimmune diseases.
