Stricter standards sought to curb stem-cell confusion

摘要

Pamela Robey is used to being sent samples by scientists who are anxious to know whether the mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) they have extracted from fat can be coaxed to turn into either bone or cartilage. Robey, who directs the Stem Cell Unit at the US National Institutes of Health (NIH), is also used to delivering bad news to many of those who seek her help. "They usually are not happy," she says, when her attempts to differentiate the cells produce little more than fatty globules.