Based on a case study conducted at a public institution for higher education, the article investigates the dynamics of the scientific field of stem cell research. Basic research projects with adult and embryonic stem cells (experiments in cell culture or an animal model) and tissue bioengineering were surveyed. Fieldwork included ethnographic observation and interviews with researchers (graduate students and professors). Project researchers were observed to be part of a scientific network displaying a marked division of labor and workflows of material and symbolic resources. A dynamic of alliances and exchanges was found to underlie collaborative relations between peers and students. When recapping the history of stem cell research at the institute, interviewees showed the organization of the field.
stem cells; scientific field; anthropology of science