Scientists Turn Human Skin Cells into Stem Cells in Breakthrough

Separate teams of scientists on two continents revealed Tuesday that they have created stem cells from human skin cells - a development that eventually could allow researchers to sidestep the contentious moral issues that have hobbled early studies in a promising field.

The startling breakthrough was hailed by parties on all sides of the stem cell debate because it raised the prospect that the controversial destruction of human embryos and the need to harvest eggs from women donors might one day no longer be needed.

"This has the potential to reshape the politics and science of stem cell research," said Jesse Reynolds, a policy analyst for the Center for Genetics and Society, an Oakland-based organization that favors stem cell studies.

The Rev. Thomas Berg, executive director of the Westchester Institute, a Catholic ethics think tank in Thornwood, N.Y., said the new technique described in the two papers is a major advance that passes ethical muster. "This is almost a magical moment," he said. "We wanted to see science go forward, but in a way that will respect human life."

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