Stem cells are the primary type of cells that are created after fertilization, and in the course of organic development they differentiate to create the various organs.
For biotechnologists, the construction of stem cells from “normal” somatic cells is a kind of “holy grail.” For therapeutic purposes always: they could, for example, with the controlled cultivation and development of human stem cells, construct “new organs” – to replace damaged or diseased ones. It could, moreover, ensure (through such replacements / repairs of organs and tissues) even greater longevity: in their commercial utilization, stem cells appear to be gold!
Research continues worldwide. But perhaps it is a Chinese research team that made the “cut”. In a recent paper by biotechnologists at the Guangzhou Institute for Biomedicine and Health (of the Chinese Academy of Sciences), they announced that they managed to modify the chromatin structure in common somatic cells, “reprogramming” them to act as stem cells. The corrective intervention was done using molecular chemicals – a method considered more effective, simpler and safer compared to any other that has been tested so far.
At some point, human spare parts will be as commonplace as those for cars. And the “Self” will grab a shelf; or fill a well-locked money box – refrigerator…