The UW-Madison researcher who grew the world’s first human embryonic stem cells has performed what he considers an even greater achievement: creating similar cells without using or destroying embryos.
James Thomson used a virus to deliver four select genes into human skin cells, which triggered the cells to revert to their embryonic state. The reprogrammed cells can then be coaxed into many of the body’s cell types, he said, helping scientists better learn the causes of diseases and possibly leading to cures.