Taiwan Researchers have succeeded in developing liver cells from embryonic stem cells that can be used to repair damaged livers and to test new drugs, according to news from Taipei Thursday.
A spokesman for the Biomedical Engineering Center of the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) said the center is the second in the world to grow liver cells, following work by researchers at the Geron Incorporation of the United States.
Embryonic stem cells are derived from embryos and have the ability to transform themselves into virtually any type of cell in the body, allowing scientists to regenerate damaged organs or tissue.
According to the spokesman, since hepatitis is prevalent in Taiwan, the breakthrough in liver cell-growing technology is significant for its clinical applications.
He said the center will cooperate with the local biomedical industry to develop a stem cell research center to grow heart muscle cells and liver cells for organ repair or transplants, nerve cells for repairing spinal injuries and cells that make insulin for treatment of diabetes.
The Biomedical Engineering Center, being the only stem cell research center in Taiwan, has developed a cell colony bank to grow cells for local biomedical labs, according to the spokesman.
Taiwan's health authorities have decided to ban human cloning but allow limited embryonic stem cell research considering that an overall ban on the research could stymie the development of Taiwan's nascent biotechnology sector.
(Xinhua News Agency December 20, 2002)
