Stem cells with the capacity to form any type of tissue can be created from adult cells without destroying embryos, according to new research that suggests a way of sidestepping ethical controversy over the field.

Three separate teams of scientists have used genetic trickery to wind back the biological clock of mature skin cells from mice, to give them the unlimited potential of stem cells that are normally found only in embryos.

Though it remains uncertain whether the same technique would work in humans, the successes raise the prospect that powerful master cells for use in medicine and research could one day be created from adult bodies, removing any need to use embryos.

Read the article at Times Online site