Brazil Developing Stem Cells Without Embryos

Brasilia, Feb 5, 2009 / 08:02 pm (CNA).- Brazilian media reported this week that at least five groups of scientists are developing stem cells without using human embryos, thanks to a technique that uses human pluripotent stem cells (iPS) being developed in United States, Germany, Japan and China.

At the end of January, a group of scientists led by Stevens Rehen of the Institute of Biomedical Sciences of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, and Martin Bonamino of the Division of Experimental Medicine of the National Institute of Cancer, were able to cultivate human pluripotent stem cells, that is, cells capable of developing into any kind of tissue.

Other groups in Brazil, such as the Department of Medicine at the University of Sao Paulo also announced they have been able to cultivate the iPS cells.