Researchers Use Skin to Create Stem-Cells

Using hormones and other growth stimulants, scientists at Wake Forest University have coaxed adult stem cells taken from skin tissue into producing fat, muscle and bone cells, Local Tech Wire reported.

Doctor Anthony Atala, director of the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, said the stem cells were gathered from 15 donors who had undergone circumcisions.

"Because these cells are taken from a patient's own skin, there would not be problems with organ or tissue rejection," Atala said. "These cells should provide a valuable resource for tissue repair and for organs as well."

Adult stem-cell research has already produced cures and, unlike embryonic stem-cell research, does not require the destruction of human life.