Stem cell ‘major discovery’ reported

What has been described as a “game-changer” in the quest to grow transplant tissue in the lab has been reported in Japan. The latest breakthrough was pioneered by Haruko Obokata at the RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology in Kobe whose innovation involves stimulus-triggered acquisition of pluripotency or STAP cells. These cells have shown a limited ability to self-renew and have yet to prove they can be acquired from humans. University College London professor Chris Mason said, “If it works in man, this could be the game-changer that ultimately makes a wide range of cell therapies available using the patient’s own cells as starting material.” Transplanted cells can replenish organs destroyed by disease or accidents.
 
Read the full story on Rappler.
A related story is on the BBC.