Definition: A procedure in which cells are taken from a patient (often from skin) and inserted into a fertilized egg whose nucleus has been removed. The resulting cell is stimulated to divide repeatedly to form a blastocyst, a mass consisting of 100-200 cells. Stem cells are then extracted from the blastocyst and used to grow tissues that are a perfect genetic match for the patient.
The differentiated cells can potentially be transplanted into the patent to treat disorders such as diabetes, Alzheimer's disease, and Parkinson's disease, thus the importance of stem cell research.
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