Shinya Yamanaka has pioneered non-embryo stem cell research.
Scientists working on a new stem-cell research method that does not require the destruction of embryos have overcome a major hurdle.
The new procedure turns back the clock on an adult cell, so that it behaves like an embryonic stem cell and can be used to grow replacement human tissues.
But the genes used to reprogram the adult cells had been linked to cancer, so that the resulting tissues could not be safely used in medical treatment.
Japanese scientists have now demonstrated that human and mouse genes can be reprogrammed without contact with the cancer-causing gene.
This means a significant development in removing the need for embryos to be destroyed in stem cell research.
Prof. Ian Wilmut, the creator of Dolly the sheep, has already moved away from embryonic stem-cell research in favour of the new method, developed by Japanese scientist Shinya Yamanaka.
