But Sir John showed the wisdom of Dr Brenner's choice when he discovered that (sex cells aside) adult worms all have 959 cells in them, and that the pattern of cell differentiation which leads from egg to adult is the same in every individual.

ECONOMIST: This year, the Nobel authorities have shown a deft touch

However, the development of reproducible methods to control stem cell growth and differentiation is still a challenge and major studies are needed before stem cells can be widely used for therapeutic purposes.

UNESCO: 2010 UK and Ireland Winners

Continuous monitoring of the differentiation process of stem cells is of great importance for the development of cell-based regenerative medicine therapies and is extremely novel.

UNESCO: 2010 UK and Ireland Winners