New research suggests that unfertilised eggs could provide scientists with a source of stem cells. Dr Kent E Vrana, from Wake Forest University in North Carolina, and associates studied stem cells derived from the unfertilized eggs of female monkeys. After growing the cells for two years, the researchers found that their stem cells looked and acted in exactly the same way as stem cells obtained from embryos. Furthermore, when treated with chemicals the scientist were able to coax the cells to developing into a number of different cell types, including heart muscle cells and nerve cells. Experiments are now underway to establish whether the cells will cure disease in animals. It would be a godsend to scientists if stem cells from unfertilised eggs are found to be as good as those obtained from embryos. If this is the case, scientists can easily obtain a plentiful supply of stem cells while avoiding the ethical minefield that surrounds the use of embryonic stem cells. The use of unfertilised eggs will also enable scientists to get around the US law that prohibits the use of government funding “to generate a human embryo.”
SOURCE/REFERENCE: PNAS published online before print September 22nd, 2003, 10.1073/pnas.
