Biotime launches Embryome.com and the International Embryome Initiative
June 27, 2008 | Source: KurzweilAI
BioTime and its subsidiary Embryome Sciences, Inc. announced today the launch of Embryome.com and the International Embryome Initiative, intended to build the “embryome”–a complete database of embryonic cell types and the pathways they take as they differentiate into specific cell types.
Human embryonic stem cells (hESC) have the innate potential to become all of the diverse cell types of the human body. A challenge for the field of regenerative medicine is understanding how to control this potential to build life-saving therapies.
The “embryome” will be a complete map of all cell types derived from human embryonic stem cells, the lineage (developmental pathways) from hESC to final cell types, the genes expressed in those cells, and markers (antigens) on the cell surfaces that can be used to identify the cells.
Currently there is no international standard for the markers that distinguish cell types.
