Team’s method a boon for stem cell research

August 26, 2008

The discovery of stem cells in teeth, menstrual blood, amniotic fluid and other sources has peppered the headlines over the past few years.Scientists have even coaxed human skin cells backward down the development pathway, creating what they said were pluripotent stem cells, which have the ability to grow into many different cell types in the body.

But whether these stem cells have the same regenerative powers as embryonic stem cells was an educated guess, said Jeanne Loring, head of the stem cell research program at The Scripps Research Institute in Torrey Pines. (San Diego Union-Tribune)