Stem cell research breakthrough? A breakthrough in the means of carrying out stem cell research may have been discovered, which would avert further ethical anguish about how to proceed with research in the area. A new study from the Montreal neurological institute has identified stem cells that can be taken... A breakthrough in the means of carrying out stem cell research may have been discovered, which would avert further ethical anguish about how to proceed with research in the area. A new study from the Montreal neurological institute has identified stem cells that can be taken from skin of juvenile and adult rodents which can develop into very different types of cells in culture and can be cultured for one year without losing this ability. The same cells are believed to be in humans' skin. The results of this study, which have just been published in the journal 'Nature' could mean a major breakthrough which would provide a non-controversial source of material for future stem cell research. 'We believe our discovery is important as we have identified an exciting new stem cell from a non-controversial source that holds considerable promise for scientific and therapeutic research,' said Dr Freda Miller, one of the scientists who worked on the study. The news came as President George W Bush of the USA claimed that any attempts by Congress or the Senate to change elements of his recent decision on US federal funding on stem cell research would be met with a Presidential veto. 'The statement I Iaid out is what I think is right...any piece of legislation that undermines what I think is right will be vetoed,' he said on 13 August. He has been buoyed by figures showing that a majority of US citizens feel that his decision, which allowed funding for stem cell research on existing cell lines, was right. Some 60 per cent of Americans approved the decision, although most of the respondents felt, according to a Gallup poll, that the decision was made on political grounds rather than deeply held beliefs.
