With the rapid advancement of the human genome project, the race is on
to identify the relatively few useful target genes for drug discovery
. The power of developmental biology in this effort has recently begun
to be recognized. In addition to the use of model developmental organ
isms for functional studies, certain pluripotent cell populations and
gene products that are present during embryogenesis are candidate ther
apeutic tools for use in the treatment of human diseases. These agents
could be used to repair diseased tissues by inducing or directing dev
elopmental programs that recapitulate embryonic processes to replace s
pecialized cells. The direct manipulation of embryonic development by
pharmaceutical agents is a unique application of developmental biology
that is currently being explored in animal agriculture.