Chair of the Royal Society Stem Cell working group, Sir Richard Gardner FRS, comments on the recent stem cell breakthrough in Japan and America.

The techniques outlined this week by research teams in Japan and America present a very significant development in the field of stem cell science. The ability to reprogramme adult skin cells as cells that closely resemble embryonic stem cells, adds a valuable new research tool to interspecies embryos and cloning for both furthering our understanding of serious genetic diseases and devising ways of combating them.

These new developments highlight the speed in which this area of science is progressing a point the Royal Society, and indeed the scientific community generally, has stressed over the past twelve months at a time when a Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill is under consideration.

It is important to allow for future developments in embryonic stem cell work and it is essential that scientists continue to undertake research using the full range of available options. Claims that these new studies render current research on embryonic stem cells unnecessary are grossly premature. It would be unwise to discontinue research using cloning or interspecies embryos as a result of this development.

Both papers published this week acknowledged that while the type of cells created, known as Induced Pluripotent Stem (IPS) cells, are very similar to embryonic stem cells, they are not identical to them. More research will therefore be necessary to see if the subtle differences will affect their use for regenerating damaged tissues or for developing future treatments for diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. IPS cells do, however, offer a promising new research tool' for investigating genetic and other factors that lead to the development of disease.

With numerous international science groups working with a range of techniques to produce stem cells that can give rise to a wide variety of specialised cells, disease treatments will hopefully be developed more rapidly and patients will start to benefit from this much celebrated most promising area of research.

Sir Richard Gardner FRS is Chair of the Royal Society working group on Stem Cells.


Neil.