Source: San Francisco Chronicle
Posted: June 15, 2006
Summary:
Scientists in the United Kingdom annonced they have found a gene known as "nanog" that could take adult cells back to an embryonic state. The discovery could possibly enable diseases to be treated without using controversial human embryonic stem cells or cloning. Eventually embyonic stem cells could be the foundation for a new area of regenerative medicine. The capability to turn adult stem cells into cells that have traits of embryonic stem cells could rerevolutionize the science and politics of stem cell research, which is controversial since embryos must be destroyed in order to obtain embryonic stem cells. Reprogramming could make it possible to generate from a patient's skin cells customized cells of other types that had been destroyed by disease or injury.
Commentary: Hopefully this research will lead to treatments for diseases using cells with embryonic cell qualities and diffuse the ethical controversy surrounding embryonic stem cell research.
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