Stem Cells From Testes Produce Wide Range of Tissue Types - washingtonpost.com

Stem Cells From Testes Produce Wide Range of Tissue Types - washingtonpost.com:

"WEDNESDAY, Sept. 19 (HealthDay News) -- U.S. researchers say they've successfully reprogrammed adult stem cells from the testes of male mice into a wide variety of cell types, including functional blood vessels, contractile cardiac tissue, and brain cells.

If the same can be done with adult testes stem cells from humans, they may offer a source of new therapies to treat men with health problems such as heart disease, vascular diseases, diabetes, stroke, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, and even cancer, the researchers said."

Not only does this avoid the ethical pitfalls of embryonic stem cell harvesting, at least as far as males are concerned, it becomes possible for patients to be their own donors.