Scientists Use Skin To Create Stem Cells

Washington Post ^ | June 7, 2007 | Rick Weiss

[Between the Lines]

Three teams of scientists said yesterday they had coaxed ordinary mouse skin cells to become what are effectively embryonic stem cells without creating or destroying embryos in the process -- an advance that, if it works with human cells, could revolutionize stem cell research and quench one of the hottest bioethical controversies of the decade.

In work being published today, the scientists describe a method for turning back the biological clocks of skin cells growing in laboratory dishes. Thus rejuvenated, the cells give rise to daughter cells that are able to become all the parts needed to make a new mouse.

If the process also works with human cells, as scientists suspect it will with some modifications, it would mean that a person's own skin cells could be converted directly into stem cells without having to collect healthy human eggs or destroy human embryos -- steps that until now have been required to obtain embryonic stem cells.

Those stem cells could then be used to make a wide variety of personalized replacement tissues.

[fatnotlazy]

I’ve got lots of extra skin — if these scientists want to experiment with it, they can have it. :)

[Niteranger68]

Liberals hardest hit.

[The_Victor]

it would mean that a person's own skin cells could be converted directly into stem cells without having to collect healthy human eggs or destroy human embryos

The left will have to somehow denounce this. This will practically eliminate the market in aborted fetal tissue.

[OB1kNOb]

If the process also works with human cells, as scientists suspect it will with some modifications, it would mean that a person's own skin cells could be converted directly into stem cells without having to collect healthy human eggs or destroy human embryos -- steps that until now have been required to obtain embryonic stem cells.

But...but...but....isn't that why all the fertilized human eggs and dead human embryos are needed? This will be bad for business! - Planned Parenthood/ACLU/NOW.........../s

[Abathar]

For once women and children NOT hit hardest....

[Abathar]

For once women and children NOT hit hardest....

[Labyrinthos]

The left will have to somehow denounce this. This will practically eliminate the market in aborted fetal tissue.

Don't get too excited. Assuming the process works with humans, there will be an "almost breakthrough," and the leftest scientists who pollute the halls in academia will claim that if they only had real fetal tissue, they could cure [insert your favorite disease].

[elizabetty]

But everybody knows skin from unborn babies would be best.

[Catholic Canadian]

It’s the tastiest.

[elizabetty]

That is what these abortionphiles make me think.

Did you see the Southpark episode with Christopher Reeve (R.I.P) sucking baby embryos like they were juice boxes?

It was crude and disgusting and not too far off the mark.

[ga medic]

There is no fetal tissue involved in ESR. ESR is conducted on cells from an embryo that is 4 days old and created in a petri dish. I disagree with this practice, but is has nothing to do with abortion.

I am positive about this development. It shows that there are possibly options to embryonic stem cells that can accomplish the same thing.

[VeritatisSplendor]

I read in another article that “some of the stem cells grew into mice” - which shows this is totipotent cloning and not out of the ethical woods.

Mrs VS