Editorial

Training the next generation of pluripotent stem cell researchers

Philip Hitchins Schwartz^1,2

¹Center for Translational Research, Children's Hospital of Orange County Research Institute, 455 South Main Street, Orange, California 92868 USA

²Center for Neuroscience Research, Children's Hospital of Orange County Research Institute, 455 South Main Street, Orange, California 92868 USA

author email corresponding author email

Journal of Translational Medicine 2008, 6:40doi:10.1186/1479-5876-6-40

Published:	23 July 2008

Abstract

Human pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) have the unique properties of being able to proliferate indefinitely in their undifferentiated state and of being able to differentiate into any somatic cell type. These cells are thus posited to be extremely useful for furthering our understanding of both normal and abnormal human development, providing a human cell preparation that can be used to screen for new reagents or therapeutic agents, and generating large numbers of differentiated cells that can be used for transplantation purposes. PSCs in culture have a specific morphology and they express characteristic surface antigens and nuclear transcription factors; thus, PSC culture is very specific and requires a core skill set for successful propagation of these unique cells. Specialized PSC training courses have been extremely valuable in seeding the scientific community with researchers that possess this skill set.