World-first Success in Cloning Human Stem Cells Heralded as Scientific Breakthrough [VIDEO]

A team of scientists is reporting a major breakthrough in scientific achievement after successfully converting human skin cells to embryonic stem cells.

Embryonic stem cells are capable of transforming into any other cell type in the body. It is believed that stem cell therapies hold the promise of replacing cells damaged through injury or illness. Diseases or conditions that might be treated through stem cell therapy include Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, cardiac disease and spinal cord injuries, according to a release by Oregon Health & Science University and the Oregon National Primate Research Center (ONPRC), where the research was conducted

The breakthrough comes after many unsuccessful attempts to achieve the same results at labs around the world. It is being heralded as a scientific milestone.

"For stem cell biology, there will be history before this result and then history after it with the study as the dividing line," said stem cell researcher Paul Knoepfler of the University of California, Davis, who was not involved in the study, according to USA Today. "No doubt, this is a real milestone."

Building upon his previous success transforming monkey skin cells into embryonic stem cells in 2007, senior scientist and Shoukhrat Mitalipov, of ONPRC, lead the research in the breakthrough, which is being reported as a world-first.

"There is no one trick to making this work. It is like winning the lottery, all the numbers have to line up the right way to win," Mitalipov told USA Today.

The technique Mitalipov and his collaborators used is a variation of a commonly used method called somatic cell nuclear transfer. It involves transplanting the nucleus of one cell, containing an individual's DNA, into an egg cell that has had its genetic material removed. The unfertilized egg cell then develops and eventually produces stem cells.

"A thorough examination of the stem cells derived through this technique demonstrated their ability to convert just like normal embryonic stem cells, into several different cell types, including nerve cells, liver cells and heart cells. Furthermore, because these reprogrammed cells can be generated with nuclear genetic material from a patient, there is no concern of transplant rejection," said Mitalipov in an official statement.

"While there is much work to be done in developing safe and effective stem cell treatments, we believe this is a significant step forward in developing the cells that could be used in regenerative medicine."

Mitalipov stressed that while the breakthrough does effectively clone cells, he does not believe the results of the breakthrough will be of use in human reproductive cloning.

"Our research is directed toward generating stem cells for use in future treatments to combat disease," Mitalipov said. "While nuclear transfer breakthroughs often lead to a public discussion about the ethics of human cloning, this is not our focus, nor do we believe our findings might be used by others to advance the possibility of human reproductive cloning."