First the famous "mouse study" made headlines last June, with Prof. Shinya Yamanaka from Japan, who successfully reprogrammed mouse skin cells back to an embryonic state. As little as 6 months later, this procedure has been duplicated in humans! This new method known as direct reprogramming, produces iPS (induced pluripotent state) cells all without harming, cloning or destroying embryos. James Thomson from the University of Wisconsin and Shinya Yamanaka from Kyoto University in Japan are responsible for this unquestionable huge advancement. Consequentially, Prof. Ian Wilmut, the scientist who cloned Dolly the sheep, has announced that he has halted cloning experiments using somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) stating, "this [direct reprogramming method] is the future of stem cell research." Science itself is putting to rest the controversial stem cell debate. Researchers can now venture full speed ahead, with support from all sides, to find cures without delay.
James Thomson, the first to isolate human embryonic stem cells in 1998, said it best, "Isn't it great to start a field and then to end it?" These leading scientists have come full circle, admitting there is no future in embryonic stem cell research.
Read the articles linked below in their entirety:
Dolly Creator Prof. Ian Wilmut Shuns Cloning
New Stem Cell Method Could Ease Ethical Concerns
Man who helped start stem cell war may end it
