By Miriam Falco, CNN, October 06, 2011.
For the first time, researchers have succeeded in creating human embryonic stem cells by injecting DNA from a skin cell into an unfertilized egg, according to a study published Wednesday.
To achieve what is being called an “important step” in stem cell research, scientists in New York used a cloning technique similar to the one used to clone Dolly the sheep.
“This work now demonstrates for the first time that the human egg has the ability to turn a specialized cell into a stem cell,” said Dieter Egli, who along with fellow study author Scott Noggle led the research team at the New York Stem Cell Foundation.
“The goal of this research was to create patient-specific embryonic stem cells with the patients’ DNA for the eventual use in cell replacement therapy,” Egli told CNN.
