Human embryonic stem cells created from adult tissue for first time

The cells, made with cloning technique behind Dolly the sheep, have the potential to regenerate damaged organs and tissuesScientists have used the cloning technique that led to Dolly the sheep to turn human skin into embryonic stem cells – which can make any tissue in the body.The US team overcame technical problems that had frustrated researchers for more than a decade to create batches of the body's master cells from donated skin.The work will spark fresh interest in the use of cloning in medical research, and reignite the controversy over a procedure that demands a supply of human eggs, and the creation and destruction of early stage embryos. The US group employed the technique to make embryonic stem cells that were genetically matched to individuals. Such cells could be used to study diseases in exquisite detail, and regenerate damaged organs and tissues."Our finding offers new ways of generating stem cells for patients with dysfunctional or damaged tissues and organs," said Shoukhrat Mitalipov at Oregon Health and Science University. "Such stem cells can regenerate and replace those damaged cells and tissues and alleviate diseases that affect millions of people."Dolly was born in 1996 after researchers led by Sir Ian Wilmut in Edinburgh created an embryo by fusing a cell from a sheep's udder with an egg that had had its nucleus removed. The embryo was a clone – genetically identical to the adult sheep the udder cell came from.Since Dolly's arrival teams of scientists...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - Category: Science Authors: Tags: Embryos Ethics Biology World news guardian.co.uk Medical research Human biology UK news Stem cells Science Source Type: news