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Brian Vastag

JAMA. 2001;286:293.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

Washington—In the first half of this year, a steady drumbeat of news reports presented adult stem cells—from muscle, bone marrow, and adipose and other tissue—as a viable alternative to the besieged embryonic stem cells. But at a recent Institute of Medicine workshop, both adult and embryonic stem cell researchers voiced a resounding theme: hints of the versatility of the adult cells have been vastly overinterpreted, overplayed, and overhyped.

The work with adult cells remains promising, they said; the cells hold transformative potential not seen before. But available evidence stops far short of placing adult cells on the same scientific tier as embryonic cells.

"We are making far too many simplifications when comparing adult and fetal stem cells," said Princeton University's Ihor Lemischka, PhD, who studies blood and liver stem cells. "We can't even have a discussion at this point."

EARLY BUZZ

One of the first hints that . . . [Full Text of this Article]

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