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by Hilary White

GÖTTINGEN, March 30, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A group of scientists in Germany may have found another ethical source of stem cells that have embryo-like qualities from the testes of mice. Published in the journal, Nature, the report says that the cells have the potential to be grown into all tissues of the mouse body.

The German study suggests that if the same source can be found in human males, patients could theoretically be treated with genetically matched stem cells to repair tissue damaged by disease or accident. The discovery of an ethical source of pluripotent stem cells is regarded as the Holy Grail of the medical research community as well as that of the corporate interests supporting their work.

Should the cells be present in humans, this discovery could also help close the door to so-called therapeutic cloning, in which a clone of the patient is created, cultured and subsequently killed for its genetically matched stem cells.

“We’re in the process of doing this in humans, and we’re optimistic,” said Gerd Hasenfuss, head of the team that pioneered the breakthrough.

Hasenfuss told Nature that so far these embryonic-like stem cells can turn into a number of different types of cell in the lab dish, including heart, brain and skin cells. Similar results were produced in 90% of the cases when the cells were injected into live mouse embryos.
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  Wolfgang Engel, a co-author on the paper said the team induced the cells to turn into heart, brain and skin cells. “There are 250 different cell types in the body, we have not tested them all yet.” says Engel. 27% of the mice they experimented on produced the results.

The team called the cells, “multipotent adult germline stem cells” to distinguish them from their embryonically-derived counterparts.

Some researchers have argued that the stem cells cultured from adult patients do not have the same flexibility as stem cells derived from living embryos But some governments, including the US, have pressed for more ethical sources.

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