Scientists at the University of Connecticut say they have developed two kinds of human embryonic stem cells. The cells are called CT1 and CT2 and they were created as part of the state’s 10 year commitment to stem cell research.

 

The team who made the discovery hopes that these new stem cell lines will help researchers in their efforts to find treatments for cognitive diseases. The University plans to provide the new lines to other researchers in Connecticut and other states. The lines may eventually result in new treatments for chronic diseases, University of Connecticut President Michael J. Hogan, Gov. M. Jodi Rell, Senate President Donald E. Williams Jr. and Speaker of the House Christopher Donovan and other members of the General Assembly said in a joint statement.

 

The cells were removed from less than one week old unused embryos that were obtained from a fertility clinic and were mixed with a chemical cocktail to create the stem cell lines.

 

Researchers at the University of Connecticut Medical Center, in Farmington, think this major breakthrough will place the state among the first institutions that have developed lines of human embryonic stem cells.

 

Embryonic stem cells have the ability to become any type of cell in the body. They may serve as a sort of repair system for the body. They can divide without limit to replace other cells in the body as long as the person is alive. Unlike other cells such as muscle cells, blood cells, or nerve cells, the stem cells divide and each new cell may remain a stem cell or become another type of cell with a specialized function.