The application of human embryonic stem cell technologies to drug discovery.

Publisher: Elsevier Science Ltd. Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 9604391 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Print ISSN: 1359-6446 (Print) Linking ISSN: 13596446 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Drug Discov Today Subsets: MEDLINE

Original Publication: Kidlington, Oxford : Irvington, NJ : Elsevier Science Ltd. ; Distributed by Virgin Mailing and Distribution, c1996-

Drug Design*; Biomedical Research/*trends ; Embryonic Stem Cells/*drug effects ; Pharmacology/*methods ; Pluripotent Stem Cells/*drug effects; Cell Culture Techniques ; Cell Differentiation/drug effects ; Drug Evaluation, Preclinical/methods ; Embryonic Stem Cells/cytology ; Hepatocytes/cytology ; Hepatocytes/drug effects ; Humans ; Myocytes, Cardiac/cytology ; Myocytes, Cardiac/drug effects ; Pluripotent Stem Cells/cytology ; Toxicity Tests/methods

The isolation of human embryonic stem cells about a decade ago marked the birth of a new era in biomedical research. These pluripotent stem cells possess unique properties that make them exceptionally useful in a range of applications. Discussions about human stem cells are most often focused around the area of regenerative medicine and indeed, the possibility to apply these cells in cell replacement therapies is highly attractive. More imminent, however, is the employment of stem cell technologies for drug discovery and development. Novel improved in vitro models based on physiologically relevant human cells will result in better precision and more cost-effective assays ultimately leading to lower attrition rates and safe new drugs.

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Date Created: 20070911 Date Completed: 20080304 Latest Revision: 20070910

20240829

10.1016/j.drudis.2007.07.005

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