The potential applications for medical science are impressive enough, but consider this additional benefit: since the droplets contain no genetic material, scientists can completely sidestep all the ethical red tape surrounding the alternative stem cell approach to artificial tissue.
The issue of cloning and embryonic stem cell research intersect when it comes to possible uses of cloned tissue as a source of stem cells.
Doerflinger said his group is in favor of federal funding of research on non-embryonic stem cell lines, using adult tissue, or tissue from fetuses which died of natural causes.
Lott, who had been circumspect on the issue previously, said he has concluded that he can support only those stem-cell studies that use adult tissue.
CNN: Lott says he's opposed to federal funding of stem-cell research
The patients who had the stem cell marker protein Lamin A present in their tissue were more likely to have an aggressive form of the disease.
"This is a stem cell that is generated by the body's own tissue so the immune system does not recognise it and they can get any place they want without being attacked, " said Prof Rambukkana.
Researchers highly value embryonic stem cells because of their potential to turn into any organ or tissue cell in the body.
The long-term hope is to treat patients with some sort of stem cell that could turn into beating heart muscle and replace dead cardiac tissue with fully functioning new cells.
In addition to the extremely expensive process of cloning, for each patient you have to culture stem cells and reliably turn them into the tissue you want with 100% efficiency, so you don't get a single left over stem cell that will cause tumors.
CNN: Human stem cell cloning: 'Holy Grail' or techno-fantasy?
A. A stem cell is a pluripotent cell, meaning a cell that can develop into any kind of tissue.
应用推荐