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Since its being discussed, recent development in the research

WASHINGTON (AFP) – British scientists have grown liver cells out of stem cells from human skin, boosting hopes that healthy cells can be transplanted into organs to repair damage from diseases like cirrhosis and cancer, according to new findings.
Cambrige University took skin biopsies from seven patients suffering from various hereditary liver diseases, and from three healthy patients, "reprogramming" the skin samples into stem cells which can effectively become any tissue in the body.

For the first time, such cells were used to mimic a range of liver diseases, according to the findings published in Wednesday's Journal of Clinival Investigation.
Growing liver cells in a laboratory is particularly difficult.

By replicating such cells in diseased livers, and replicating the healthy cells from a control group, researchers can not only determine precisely what is happening in the diseased cell, but also test the effectiveness of new therapies to treat diseases.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100826...esearchbritain