In an attempt to better understand the complexities of adult stem cells, the National Institutes of Health has funded the Stem Cell Genome Anatomy Projects, a consortium of researchers studying stem cells from blood, bone, kidney, gut, liver, prostate and bladder cells. The consortium, which met this fall for the first time since its formation a year ago, plans to develop better ways to identify adult stem and progenitor cells and to characterize patterns of gene activity in the different types of cells.
