Scientists at the Cambridge Medical Research Council have managed to create a new type of human stem cell which could act as a future building block for organ replacements. The study has been heralded as a significant breakthrough in cell research.

For the first time, a team of Japanese and British academics, working for the Wellcome Trust at the Cambridge MRC Stem Cell Institute, have managed to create human pluripotent cells. Such cells have the ability to change into a variety of different cell types; acting, in essence, as a stem cell building block that can be used to grow a range of specialised tissues.

Professor Austin Smith, the director of the project gave the following statement: "Our findings suggest that it is possible to rewind the clock to achieve true ground state pluripotency in human cells.

"These cells may represent the real starting point for formation of tissues in the human embryo. We hope that in time they will allow us to unlock the fundamental biology of early development, which is impossible to study directly in people."

The medical applications of the new artificial stem cells are manifold. The recently developed process could be used as part of regenerative therapies, diagnoses and drug screenings. Furthermore, the group’s research, which has created cells similar to those found in 7-9 day-old embryos, could give valuable insights into embryo development and the causes of miscarriages and developmental disorders.

Professor Smith and his team managed to create the ‘naïve’ cells by introducing two genes called Klf4 and Tfcp2l1 to the process. Formerly, the creation of pluripotent cells had only been achieved in mouse cells with the help of an external protein. This new method, however, has allowed the Cambridge scientists to successfully replicate early human embryonic cells.

Once the cells have reached the naïve state it is possible for them to self-renew indefinitely. These stable cells can then become heart, nerve or brain cells, according to the specific treatment they are given.