BBC NEWS | Health | Shamed scientist's 'breakthrough'

BBC NEWS | Health | Shamed scientist's 'breakthrough':


"Researchers said that the distinct 'genetic fingerprint' of the stem cells means they may be the first in the world to be extracted from embryos produced by the so-called 'virgin birth' method, or parthenogenesis.

This happens when eggs are stimulated into becoming embryos without ever being fertilised by sperm, and has been achieved in animals.

However, before Hwang, no one had managed to produce a human embryo using parthenogenesis which lived long enough to allow the extraction of viable stem cells.

Dr George Daley, who led the analysis, told the BBC's Science In Action programme: 'Unfortunately at the time they published their work they did not know what they had done so they had mistakenly isolated these parthenogenic embryonic stem cells, and yet misrepresented them as true clones.

'In fact they had produced the world's first patient-specific embryonic stem cell, and that is very valuable.

'Scientists interested in modelling complex diseases would like to be able to move a patient's own cells into a petri dish in their embryonic form.'"

Comment: There is a need to replicate this result, but if it holds up, it would seem to be very important. Another reason to overcome the Bush administration's Luddite restrictions on stem cell research funding by the government. JAD