2007 Stem Cell Breakthrough is 'Like Turning Lead into Gold'

From Yahoo! News: Science News:

It was the kind of breakthrough scientists had dreamed of for decades and its promise to help cure disease appears to be fast on the way to being realized. Researchers in November announced they were able to turn the clock back on skin cells and transform them into stem cells, the mutable building blocks of organs and tissues. Then just earlier this month a different team announced it had cured sickle cell anemia in mice using stem cells derived from adult mouse skin. "This is truly the Holy Grail: To be able to take a few cells from a patient -- say a cheek swab or few skin cells -- and turn them into stem cells in the laboratory," said Robert Lanza, a stem cell pioneer at Advanced Cell Technology.

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