Stem Cells without the Embryos

November 21, 2007 | Source: Technology Review

Kyoto University and University of Wisconsin scientists appear to have independently achieved one of regenerative medicine’s holy grails: reprogramming human adult cells to behave like embryonic stem cells, without the use of an embryo or a human egg.

The method could provide a way to make patient-specific stem cells, a feat not yet achieved in humans. Such cells could eventually be used for studying complex genetic diseases, or for cell or tissue transplants without fear of immune rejection.

The new technique also removes the major ethical objections to embryonic stem-cell research: the creation and destruction of human embryos.