The Ministry of Health has recently reported success at the Stem Cell Research Center of the Second Hospital attached to Zhongshan University. The work at the center has led to China being one of only a few countries where human embryonic stem cell systems have been produced. The center has also succeeded in inducing mice embryonic stem cells to develop on into hemopoietic stem cells, associated with blood production, by using the "phasing method" for the first time in China. These achievements are considered of significant value to the development of hemopoietic stem cell transplants in clinical practice.

Professor Huang Shaoliang, head of the Stem Cell Research Center and researcher He Zhixu have succeeded in establishing three human embryonic stem cell systems styled CHE1, CHE2 and CHE3. They used material taken from the ball of cells known as the blastula that develops out of the original single-cell or human zygote.

The center has now finished an appraisal of its work on embryonic stem cells.

Embryonic stem cells are the most basic type of stem cells. They are capable of regenerating themselves. Stem cells go on through multiple divisions to develop into a total of 206 kinds of more complex cells, which make up the human body.

According to Professor Huan Shaoliang, the self-regeneration, proliferation and differentiation functions of stem cells make them basis of life development. The various biological models based on this can show all the biological status of human organs and individual development.

Research in the field will serve to clarify the mechanisms of cancer, hereditary disease, degeneration histopathology, diseases of the immune system and even aging. It will provide an ideal platform for the selection of new medicines and investigation of their toxicity and efficacy. It will offer new insights into the function of genes.

(China.org.cn, by Wang Qian, November 5, 2002)