INTRODUCTION On a sultry Memorial Day in 1995, Christopher Reeve, an experienced horseman and rider, was catapulted from his horse to the ground during a jumping competition. Hitting headfirst, he fractured his neck and crushed his spinal cord exactly at the point it exits the skull. Reeve, known for his acting roles as Superman and in other films, became the inspiration for stem cell research and for hopes of regenerating damaged spinal cord tis- sue by implanting a unique group of cells that can grow new cells. Why would Reeve promote a research idea that thus far has had no proven success? One word·hope·sums up everything. Stem cell research offers hope to millions who are victims of a multitude of diseases and disorders. In the United States alone, 16 million people, including hundreds of thou- sands of children, suffer from diabetes. There are more than 4.5 million people with ParkinsonÊs disease, more than 5.5 million with AlzheimerÊs disease, and nearly 5 million with congestive heart failure. These numbers alone cannot describe the enormous suffering and personal tragedy of a child afflicted for life with type 1 diabetes who will eventually become blind and lose her limbs, of a mother who cannot recognize her children or grandchildren because of AlzheimerÊs disease, of a father imprisoned in a body wracked with ParkinsonÊs disease. The people afflicted with these diseases are not the only victims. We cannot count the numbers of the rela- tives, friends, and health-care professionals who care for them daily who personally agonize at seeing their loved ones with such terrible conditions. It is hoped that understanding the unique cells that can grow new cells will provide insight into the biology of life. The prospect that this may be a path to treating some of the most horrible human conditions provides
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