Beginning next month, a national institute will start providing domestically produced human embryonic stem cells -- a move likely to accelerate Japanese research into the production of tissue and organs for medical use.
Since biologists at the University of Wisconsin created the first human embryonic stem cells in 1998, scientists worldwide have pursued such research, as the cells have the potential to grow into any type of cell in the body, including blood and nerves.
Scientists thus believe the technology may lead to curing such intractable illnesses as Parkinson's disease.
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