Rome, Italy, Nov 23, 2007 / 08:33 am
The chancellor of the Pontifical Academy for Life, Msgr. Ignacio Carrasco, described as “very positive and important” the discovery of a new technique for obtaining stem cells that does not involve the destruction of a human embryo.
Japanese scientist Shinya Yamanaka of the University of Kyoto and American scientist James Thomson of the University of Wisconsin, published the results of their discovery in the magazines Cell and Science.
Both were able to obtain stem cells using human skin cells. Scientists are calling the discovery revolutionary as it would allow doctors to create stem cells with a specific patient's genetic code, eliminating the risk that the body would reject transplanted tissues or organs.
Speaking to Europa Press, Msgr. Carrasco said that in addition to being “an important scientific step,” the discovery also shows that many scientists have “taken seriously” the “ethical objections” to the cloning of human embryos.