Stem cells are master cells that can develop into virtually any part of the body.
Once a stem cell becomes a specific cell like a brain neuron, the genes that would turn it into another type of cell, such as a blood cell, are turned off. In the first study, published in this week's issue of the scientific journal Nature, scientists report that brain cells harvested from fresh cadavers can grow, divide, and form specialized brain cells. The findings suggest that postmortem tissue might be a useful and less ethically weighted source of stem cells. Gage and his fellow researchers gathered brain tissue from 23 individuals, ranging in age from 11 weeks to 72 years old. This particular study used a pool of cells extracted from cadaver tissue, Gage said.