A team of UK scientists have managed to create a key component of the immune system using embryonic stem cells. The researchers managed to produce a thymus gland from a type of stem cell called a thymic epithelial progenitor cell. Although the research was conducted in mice, study leader Dr Clare Blackburn is confident that the same approach will work in humans. The thymus gland is vital for health as it produces white blood cells called T-cells, however it usually stops working after puberty, leaving people reliant on the T-cells they already have. This research suggests that it may be possible to produce T-cells in the laboratory for people whose immune systems have been depleted by illnesses such as AIDS.
SOURCE/REFERENCE: Reported by www.bbc.co.uk on the 20th June 2002
