Source: Scientific American
Date: June 6, 2007
Summary:
Scientific American reports on two new advancements that could reshape the ethical debate over embryonic stem cells:
"Two methods for creating embryonic stem cells just got a big boost. In one development, three teams of scientists report they have turned back the clock on mouse skin cells, changing them into embryolike cells by introducing a cocktail of four genes. If extended to humans, the technique would allow researchers to create potentially all-purpose stem cells without using embryos. However, experts say they will still have to study cells from human embryos to figure out how to make the jump to humans and, beyond that, how the two kinds of cell would stack up as ways of regenerating diseased tissue."
"In a second approach, a group of researchers successfully cloned mice from fertilized embryos instead of unfertilized eggs. Because fertilized human embryos are far more accessible than unfertilized eggs, which cannot be frozen and stored, extending the result to humans could lower the practical barriers against creating human embryonic stem cells to study and potentially treat disease. Neither technique works outside of mice yet, but researchers are optimistic they can apply at least some of the findings to human cells."
