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| 6/23/2003 |
"Hu-mouse" stem cell breakthrough
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5:17:22 PM
Seoul, June 23 - South Korean researchers said Monday they had succeeded in developing human embryonic stem cells in the bodies of mice.
Maria Biotech, a seoul research institute,said the so-called "Hu-mouse" project represented a step forward in efforts to tackle a variety of diseases because clinical studies could henceforth be carried out on mice rather than human beings.
Lead researcher kim un-yong told AFP that the "Hu-mouse" project was the first of its kind in the world. "This has not been done before," she said.
"The project will help work on curing human disease."
"They are perfect mice except for a few human genes," said Maria's head of research park se-pill. Stem cells are the undifferentiated building block cells produced by the body that become specialised cells.
Scientists believe that stem cell research will eventually help repair damaged organs and reverse currently incurable illnesses including some cancers, diabetes and parkinsons.
The institute said it had succeeded in producing 11 healthy babymice after injecting mice embryos with human embryonic stem cells carrying enhanced green fluorescent proteins (egfp) and transplanting them into the wombs of four mice.
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