Stem Cell Breakthrough

Science and politics might have one less fight on their hands. Researchers are reporting in the journals Cell and Science that they've transformed human skin cells into pluripotent stem cells, which could revolutionize medicine and potentially lead to cures for numerous diseases.

Yes, we've heard these kinds of bold proclamations before, but by numerous accounts, this is the real thing. If that's the case, it could effectively erase the debate about the ethics of destroying embryos to extract stem cells for research. Two teams of scientists, at Kyoto university in Japan and the University of Wisconsin, Madison, used a virus to add four new genes to each skin cell. Some of these then changed back into pluripotent stem cells, the version that can become almost any cell in the body. At this point they've managed to transform the cells into heart, brain and muscle tissue.—Gregory Mone

Comments

[Chris C.]

Somehow im getting some good ideas going on, how many stem cells does it take to grow back an arm,leg or texturized skin?

I can look forward to future Health and Medicine.

Can stem cells become white blood cells?

[Gregory Mone]

Looks like scientists have done it with embryonic stem cells in the past:

http://www.unisci.com/stories/20013/0904011.htm

[Chris C]

Haha awesome, 2001 wow. I guess rare blood types are overrated if you can mass produce them