The promise of using cells from human embryos to treat disease has moved a tantalizing step closer to reality ”“ but without the ethical shackles that have long hindered its progress. The breakthrough is likely to bolster the cause of those who oppose embryo research, and accelerate the pace of stem cell research as scientists rush to build on the new approach.
In a compelling scientific feat, independent teams of researchers in Japan and the U.S. created human embryonic stem cells without destroying any human embryos. The technique appears to be easier, cheaper, and more ethically appealing than an alternative approach that involves a controversial form of human cloning.
Scientists said they “reprogrammed” mature human cells in such a way that they reverted to a primordial, embryonic-like state in a laboratory dish. The hope is to some day convert those cells into fresh heart, nerve or other tissue and transplant them into patients to treat diabetes, Parkinson’s and other ailments.
As the old saying goes–“There is more than one way to skin a cat.” This story makes clear that what pro-lifers have said all along–that human life doesn’t have to be treated as so much garbage for scientists to make great progress in research.