Professor Yamanaka has ethical concerns about embryonic research.
The Japanese scientist behind a recent breakthrough in non-embryonic stem cell work says he was inspired to find an alternative to embryo research because of ethical concerns.
In an interview with the New York Times, Professor Yamanaka said he visited a friend about eight years ago who was working in a fertility clinic. What he saw down a microscope changed his scientific career.
"When I saw the embryo, I suddenly realised there was such a small difference between it and my daughters," said Prof. Yamanaka, 45, a father of two and now a professor at the Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences at Kyoto University. "I thought, we can't keep destroying embryos for our research. There must be another way."
Last month, after years of work, Prof. Yamanaka announced that he had successfully reprogrammed adult skin cells to behave like embryonic stem cells removing the need to use a human embryo.
Scientists believe they can use stem cells as a 'repair kit' for the body, treating a range of disabilities and diseases. Up until recently, some scientists insisted that embryonic stem cells were necessary for this work.
But embryonic stem cell research involves the destruction of human embryos. After a decade of work it has not resulted in a single clinical treatment. However, non-embryonic stem cell research has given rise to at least 73 separate medical treatments.
Parliament is currently considering an embryos Bill which opens the door to more embryonic stem cell research. Critics say this is now behind the times.
RTF