Admidst the human embryo stem cell controversy comes a breakthrough that should quiet the dissenters. Human skin cells that can be converted into embryo-like stem cells.
"This work represents a tremendous scientific milestone — the biological equivalent of the Wright brothers' first airplane," said Dr. Robert Lanza, chief science officer of Advanced Cell Technology, which has been trying to extract stem cells from cloned human embryos. "It's a bit like learning how to turn lead into gold," said Lanza, while cautioning that the work is far from providing medical payoffs.
The process is a redirecting technique that researchers first accomplished with lab mice and have now taken to the next level with positive human tests. The only drawback, at the moment, is that the technique disrupts the DNA of the cells and creates the potential for cancers. This makes it unacceptable for the most common potential use of embryonic cells: creating transplant tissue that scientists theorize could be used to treat diseases such as Parkinson's, diabetes and spinal cord injuries. Researchers are convinced that that the disruption is a byproduct of the technique and believe ways can be found to avoid it.
The research is published online in journals Cell Online and Science.
[Source: Yahoo News]
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