stem cells article guardian

Lenka P. (United States of America)
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  1. stem cell
    an undifferentiated cell whose daughter cells may differentiate into other cell types (such as blood cells)
    Stem cells are not only found in embryos but in adult organs too.
  2. embryonic
    of an organism prior to birth or hatching
    Geron had just won permission from the US regulator to inject embryonic stem cells into the damaged spines of people suffering total paralysis from the chest down.
  3. AFP
    an abnormally large amount of this fetoprotein in the fetus can signal an abnormality of the neural tube (as spina bifida or anencephaly)
    Photograph: Mauricio Lima/AFP/Getty Images

    Thomas B Okarma sat in his office in the San Francisco Bay area three days after the inauguration of President Barack Obama and announced a new dawn.
  4. blastocyst
    the blastula of a placental mammal in which some differentiation of cells has occurred
    These embryos are allowed to develop for only a few days, to the stage known as "blastocyst", when they are a ball of cells the size of a full stop.
  5. teleconference
    a conference of people who are in different locations that is made possible by the use of such telecommunications equipment as closed-circuit television
    In a global teleconference, the chief executive of Geron Corporation told the world it was on the cusp of a revolution in medical science that "will enable living cells to become tomorrow's pills".
  6. cell
    the basic structural and functional unit of all organisms
    Stem cells are not only found in embryos but in adult organs too.
  7. cusp
    the point of transition when something happens or changes
    In a global teleconference, the chief executive of Geron Corporation told the world it was on the cusp of a revolution in medical science that "will enable living cells to become tomorrow's pills".
  8. embryo
    an animal organism in the early stages of growth
    Stem cells are not only found in embryos but in adult organs too.
  9. therapeutics
    branch of medicine concerned with the treatment of disease
    It was, he said, "an extraordinarily exciting event" that "marks the dawn of a new era in medical therapeutics".
  10. paralyse
    cause to be paralyzed and immobile
    Paralysed rats have regained some use of their hind legs.
  11. biotech
    the use of microorganisms for industrial purposes
    Okarma is a doctor, but he is also CEO of a Nasdaq-listed biotech company.
  12. heart failure
    inability of the heart to pump enough blood to sustain normal bodily functions
    And across the Channel, Philippe Menasché in Paris may be the first to use embryonic stem cells in people with heart failure.
  13. medical science
    the science of dealing with the maintenance of health and the prevention and treatment of disease
    In a global teleconference, the chief executive of Geron Corporation told the world it was on the cusp of a revolution in medical science that "will enable living cells to become tomorrow's pills".
  14. therapy
    the act of providing treatment for an illness or disorder
    He foresaw stem cell therapies being manufactured, bottled and stacked in hospital freezers.
  15. differentiate
    acquire a distinct character
    At that point, the crucial stem cells can be removed and kept in a culture, where they multiply prolifically without differentiating (turning into cells with a specific function, be it in the blood, the leg or the eye).
  16. pharmacy
    a retail shop where medications are sold
    These would be, he said, products frozen in a vial in a hospital pharmacy ready for off-the-shelf use - just like a pill.
  17. degeneration
    the process of declining from a higher to a lower level
    Hot on Okarma's heels is Professor Pete Coffey at the London Project to Cure Blindness, who is knocking on the doors of the British and European regulatory authorities, looking for permission to trial embryonic stem cells to save the sight of people with age-related macular degeneration, the most common cause of sight loss.
  18. vial
    a small bottle that contains liquid medicine
    These would be, he said, products frozen in a vial in a hospital pharmacy ready for off-the-shelf use - just like a pill.
  19. diabetes
    a disease characterized by high glucose levels in the blood
    He was not talking about expensive, individually tailored one-off treatments, but about the mass production of stem cell therapies that would heal wounds and repair damaged organs and tissues, treat strokes, diabetes, heart disease and blindness.
  20. regulator
    a device for controlling flow, pressure, temperature, etc.
    Geron had just won permission from the US regulator to inject embryonic stem cells into the damaged spines of people suffering total paralysis from the chest down.
  21. stacked
    arranged in a stack
    He foresaw stem cell therapies being manufactured, bottled and stacked in hospital freezers.
  22. hind leg
    the back limb of a quadruped
    Paralysed rats have regained some use of their hind legs.
  23. heart disease
    a disease of the heart
    He was not talking about expensive, individually tailored one-off treatments, but about the mass production of stem cell therapies that would heal wounds and repair damaged organs and tissues, treat strokes, diabetes, heart disease and blindness.
  24. paralysis
    loss of the ability to move a body part
    Geron had just won permission from the US regulator to inject embryonic stem cells into the damaged spines of people suffering total paralysis from the chest down.
  25. womb
    a hollow muscular organ in which a developing fetus grows
    The IVF technique meant that embryos could exist outside the womb.
  26. medical
    relating to the study or practice of medicine
    In a global teleconference, the chief executive of Geron Corporation told the world it was on the cusp of a revolution in medical science that "will enable living cells to become tomorrow's pills".
  27. spine
    the series of vertebrae forming the backbone
    Geron had just won permission from the US regulator to inject embryonic stem cells into the damaged spines of people suffering total paralysis from the chest down.
  28. scientist
    a person with advanced knowledge of empirical fields
    Ask how far away that day is, and most scientists will demur, urge caution and talk about decades.
  29. disease
    an impairment of health
    He was not talking about expensive, individually tailored one-off treatments, but about the mass production of stem cell therapies that would heal wounds and repair damaged organs and tissues, treat strokes, diabetes, heart disease and blindness.
  30. science
    a branch of study or knowledge involving the observation, investigation, and discovery of general laws or truths that can be tested systematically
    In a global teleconference, the chief executive of Geron Corporation told the world it was on the cusp of a revolution in medical science that "will enable living cells to become tomorrow's pills".
  31. medicine
    the profession devoted to alleviating diseases and injuries
    And while the first-ever human study will involve just eight or 10 patients and focus on safety - not on whether it works - there is no doubt that yet another massive milestone on the road to stem cell or regenerative medicine has been passed.
  32. human
    a person; a hominid with a large brain and articulate speech
    And while the first-ever human study will involve just eight or 10 patients and focus on safety - not on whether it works - there is no doubt that yet another massive milestone on the road to stem cell or regenerative medicine has been passed.
Created on Thu Feb 18 08:16:32 EST 2010 (updated Thu Feb 18 08:17:40 EST 2010)

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