Disease in a dish is a stem cell based concept that allows researchers to study an individual patient’s cells in a laboratory dish. It harnesses the power of stem cells to self-renew. Researchers can use induced pluri-potent stem cells generated from a patient to model that individual’s disease in a dish and study it in detail. This technology gives scientists access to an endless supply of cells that theoretically carry all the genetic and molecular changes that carry the disease. These cells can be used as models to test drugs for efficiency and safety. It can be called a “virtual clinical trial”. It is being applied to the developing field of “personalized medicine”. |