23 May 2005 --- Stem cells. Coloured scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of groups of human embryonic stem cells (HESCs, blue and purple) on their feeder cells (green). HESCs are pluripotent, they are able to differentiate into any of the 200 cell types in the human body. The type of cell they mature into depends upon the biochemical signals received by the immature cells. This ability makes HESCs a potential source of cells to repair damaged tissue in diseases such as Parkinson's and insulin-dependent diabetes. However, research using HESCs is controversial as it requires the destruction of an embryo. Cells produced at the Centre for Life, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK in 2005. Magnification: x625 at 10cm wide. --- Image by © Simon Fraser/Science Photo Library/Corbis
09 Apr 2001 --- Stem cells. Coloured scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of stem cells taken from umbilical cord blood. These cells are known as multipotent because they undergo differentiation to produce precursors of all the body's specialised blood cells. By this process, termed haemopoiesis, stem cells develop either into red blood cells, or one of several types of white blood cells that make up the immune system. The purification of stem cells from umbilical cord blood allows scientists to research the function of the immune system and to develop treatments for diseases such as AIDS and leukaemia. Magnification unknown. --- Image by © Juergen Berger/Science Photo Library/Corbis
12 May 2009 --- Stem cells, computer artwork. Stem cells are undifferentiated cells that can produce other types of cell when they divide. Medical researchers believe that eventually it will be possible to manufacture new tissues and organs from stem cells. There are three main types of mammalian stem cell: embryonic stem cells, derived from blastocysts; adult stem cells, which are found in adult tissues; and cord blood stem cells, which are found in the umbilical cord. --- Image by © David Mack/Science Photo Library/Corbis
12 Jul 2005 --- Stem cells. Coloured scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of human embryonic stem cells (HESCs) that have formed into a horizontal strand. HESCs are pluripotent, which means that they are able to differentiate into any of the 200 cell types in the human body. The type of cell they mature into depends upon the biochemical signals they receive, though the cells seen here have not been exposed to growth factors. HESCs are being studied as a way to repair damaged tissue in diseases such as diabetes and Parkinson's. These cells were grown in 2005 at the Centre for Life, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK. Magnification: x2100 when printed 10cm wide. --- Image by © Simon Fraser/Science Photo Library/Corbis
07 Dec 2011 --- Parkinson's disease nerve cells. Computer artwork of human nerve cells (neurons, green) affected by Lewy bodies (orange) in the brain of someone with Parkinson's disease. Lewy bodies are abnormal accumulations of protein that develop inside nerve cells in Parkinson's disease, Lewy Body Dementia, and some other neurological disorders. --- Image by © David Mack/Science Photo Library/Corbis