In a Cloning First, Scientists Create Stem Cells From Adults

Trax3001BBS (2368736) writes in with news about a breakthrough in creating stem cells perfectly matched to a person's DNA. "...Lanza's group used caffeine to prevent the fused egg from dividing prematurely. Rather than leaving the egg with its newly introduced DNA for 30 minutes before activating the dividing stage, they let the eggs rest for about two hours. This gave the DNA enough time to acclimate to its new environment and interact with the egg's development factors, which erased each of the donor cell's existing history and reprogrammed it to act like a brand new cell in an embryo.'"

Have their findings been independently reproduced?

[mmell]

Once that's done, we can proceed to the next step - actually doing useful medical research to provide cures and treatments. So far, we have high hopes for stem cells. It would sure be nice if we could actually make the current theories and experimental research into something more than just the search for pure academic knowledge (*gives the religious fundamentalists a dirty look for slowing us down for so long*)

The next step

[MouseTheLuckyDog]

Is to make stem cells that grow into ovaries so that they can have an endless supply of eggs.