Stem cells

A lab at the Pasteur Institute in Paris has shown that skeletal stem cells go into dormancy after a person’s death, but can remain viable for up to 17 days, retaining their ability to differentiate into muscle cells.  The researchers also found that bone marrow stem cells remain viable for four days after death.  While these discoveries may not hold true for a larger population under study, it does suggest that becoming an organ donor after death might extend to stem cells.   MORE

Image Credit: Fabrice Chretien and ABC.net