Scientist have discovered a new way to make stem cells. The method is called Stimulus Triggered Acquisition Pluripotency (STAP) and produces stem cells from a patients own white blood cells. Per the article:
Not only is the approach faster and far cheaper than current methods, but it eliminates the controversy surrounding embryonic stem cell research, which requires the destruction of an embryo, raising ethical concerns. The new approach also avoids the genetic risks associated with the alternative to the embryonic method, called induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells. That technique requires the introduction of genetic material into a cell, and has lead to tumor growth in some cases....The researchers reported their results in this weeks journal of Nature.
The procedure seems to work in mice but has not been tested in humans.
I read about this -- the procedure worked in cells from newborn mice, quite a few steps away from showing it's safe and effective in adult humans. Still, it raises hope that sometime we'll be able to repair and regenerate tissues using a person's own cells made pluripotent.
Given some time, science is capable of solving all problems.
Certainly a lot more than most people think.