Osiris Therapeutics, in Baltimore, Maryland, is testing stem cells from bone to treat patients whose bones have been damaged by chemotherapy.

ECONOMIST: Stem cells

Now, the pharmaceutical industry is increasingly adopting stem cells for testing the toxicity of drugs and identifying potential new therapies, say those in the field.

FORBES: Screening New Drugs With Stem Cells

Curis, a firm based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is building complex organs out of adult stem cells and testing them in patients with serious organ defects, such as bladder failure.

ECONOMIST: Stem cells

Athersys is testing a stem cell product called MultiStem that could fit the bill.

FORBES: Four Standard-Bearers For Stem Cell Therapies

Big drug companies have largely stayed away from testing exotic stem-cell treatments.

FORBES: Magazine Article

These disease-specific stem cell lines will also be invaluable in testing out new therapies.

BBC: Embryonic stem cells can be turned into any kind of cell

Osiris Therapeutics is testing in new diabetics an adult stem-cell therapy that it hopes will have fewer side effects than anti-CD3 drugs.

FORBES: Magazine Article

Osiris Therapeutics (nasdaq: OSIR - news - people ) is testing in new diabetics an adult stem-cell therapy that it hopes will have fewer side effects than anti-CD3 drugs.

FORBES: Delaying Diabetes

So, while stem cells still hold great promise for regenerative medicine, their use as tools for research and drug testing is having more immediate impact.

FORBES: Screening New Drugs With Stem Cells

Data from ACT testing shows that only one-third of eighth graders are interested in the exciting and fast-growing STEM careers of the future.

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