blinkx

  • Breakthrough in stem cell research

  • 00:02:02
  • ITN
    • Browse

Breakthrough in stem cell research

Revolutionary research could render plans to clone human embryos redundant.The research from America and Japan claims to reprogramme human skin cells so they cannot be distinguished from embryonic stem cells.Dolly the Sheep scientist Professor Ian Wilmut has already announced his intention to adopt the technique and abandon work on therapeutic human cloning."We can now envisage a time when a simple approach can be used to produce stem cells that are able to form any tissue from a small sample taken from any of us. This will have enormous implications for research and perhaps one day for therapy," he said.Although still at an early stage, the technique holds out the promise of manufacturing stem cells which can be used to repair almost any part of the body without having to clone human embryos.The advance could be used to treat Parkinson's, Type 1 diabetes, and motor neurone disease.The process effectively sets the cells back on the starting line, causing them to regress to an immature state. From this point they can follow any number of developmental pathways.© Independent Television News Limited 2007. All rights reserved.

ITN | November 20, 2007Watch more videos from ITN

Tags:. .plans. .point. .follow. .america. .number











Abandon   Able   Adopt   Advance   Almost   Already   Although   America   Announced   Approach   Body   Breakthrough   Cannot   Causing   Cells   Claims   Clone   Cloning   Developmental   Diabetes   Disease   Distinguished   Dolly   Early   Effectively   Embryonic   Embryos   Enormous   Envisage   Follow   Form   Holds   Human   Ian   Immature   Implications   Independent   Intention   Japan   Limited   Line   Manufacturing   Motor   Neurone   Number   Parkinsons   Pathways   Perhaps   Plans   Point   Process   Produce   Professor   Promise   Redundant   Regress   Render   Repair   Research   Reserved   Revolutionary   Sample   Scientist   Sheep   Simple   Skin   Small   Stage   Stem   Taken   Technique   Therapeutic   Therapy   Tissue   Treat   Type   Used   Without