Stem cells have a capacity to serve a diverse array of functions once they have been instructed to specialize. They can be used in cell therapies in order to counteract disease and they can be used in tissue regeneration where currently the only solution is donor transplantation of an organ. Specialised cells can be targeted to specific organs for example the brain in order to repair damage such as occurs in Alzheimer’s disease or Parkinson’s disease.

In patients with Type 1 diabetes the hope is to create a sustainable cell line of pancreatic cells which may be used to cure the disease. Although this is possible at the moment by using pancreas or islet cell transplants the supply of donor pancreatic material is so small as to limit the technique to only a tiny fraction of patients.