Stem Cells: The Building Blocks of Life
2004
Proposition 71 is passed in California, allowing the state to spend $3 million on embryonic stem cell research over 10 years. This puts California ahead of the federal government and other nations in stem cell research.
2007
Shinya Yamanaka and James Thomson discover induced pluripotent stem cells (IPSCs) separately.
2010
Dr. Mick Bhatia of McMaster University converts human skin cells directly into human blood cells.
2011
Pope Benedict XVI announces his support for adult stem cell research.
2013
Scientists from the Yokohama City University in Japan grow human liver buds using stem cells.
2001
Scientists in Massachusetts perform the first cloning of human embryos. The cloned embryonic stem cells can generate replacement tissues that patients’ bodies will not reject.
2006
President Bush vetoes a bill proposed by senate that considers expanding federal funding for embryonic stem cell research.
2010
Dr. Deepak Srivastava of Gladstone Institutes reprograms mouse non-muscle cells into beating heart cells.
2011
Dr. Sheng Ding of Gladstone Institutes reports a method for reprogramming adult skin cells into neurons that can transmit brain signals.
2012
Retinal pigment epithelial cells derived from human embryonic stem cells improve the vision of two patients with eye degeneration.
2014
Scientists led by Dieter Egli use skin cells from a woman with diabetes and converts them into insulin-producing beta cells, signifying the use of stem cells in treating diseases.
