The ethical issues surrounding the use of embryonic stem cells could be circumvented, afterall. bone marrow cells have been shown to have the potential to develop into muscle cells, albeit with limited versatility.

In a recent issue of Cell Proliferation , however, scientists were able to coax cord blood cells into forming liver cells, providing an alternative to the more primitive, but less ethically acceptable embryonic stem cells (ESCs). ESCs can transform into any adult cell type. But unlike ESCs, "cord-blood-derived embryonic-like stem cells" or CBEs are derived from umbilical cord blood, which can be saved short after birth, stored and multiplied without any of the ethical dilemmas facing embryonic stem cell use, which are derived from human fetuses.

The technology used by the team to start multiplying the CBEs was originally developed for NASA by Synthecon Incorporated in Houston, Texas, US, for isolating proteins with clinical potential from cells grown aboard the International Space Station. Colin McGuckin of Kingston University in Surrey, UK, who co-led the research team says they are currently developing such bioreactors to make more CBEs.

For a long time, people were skeptic whether it makes sense to invest thousands of dollars to save their children's umbilical cord blood in "banks", relying on a technology that isn't even available yet. These recent developments seems to show it could pay off, afterall.