The NewScientist is reporting that a University of Minnesota researcher has discovered an adult stem cell that can replicate every tissue in the human body. Previous research indicated that only embryonic stem cells had this capability. According to the article, this means that cells from your own body could be “turned into all sorts of perfectly matched replacement tissues and even organs.”
This could mean that my own tissue could be used to create a new set of kidneys for me. These are adult stem cells, extracted from the patient’s own bone marrow; this work has nothing to do with the controversial embryonic stem cell research.
While there is much in this development to give me hope, there’s apparently one bit that is quite disturbing. The article mentions that the research team appears to have filed a patent application. Maybe I’ll get a discount because as a Minnesota resident, I helped fund the research.
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