Hopes for treating disease with stem cells from umbilical cord blood has received a major boost following the discovery of primitive cells with clinical potential matching that of far more controversial embryonic stem cells (ESCs).

The newly discovered human cells, named “cord-blood-derived embryonic-like stem cells” or CBEs, are not quite as primitive as embryonic stem cells, which can give rise to any tissue type of the body. But they appear to be much more versatile than “adult stem cells.”

And umbilical cord blood can be saved, stored and multiplied without any of the ethical dilemmas facing embryonic stem cell use, which are derived from human fetuses.