IT’S now possible to grow human embryonic stem cells that are guaranteed free of any animal diseases.
Stem cells taken from early embryos can develop into any type of cell, so in theory you could use them to replace the nerve cells that die in people with Parkinson’s, or the failing insulin-producing cells in those with diabetes. But until now, biologists could only grow them in combination with cells from mouse fetuses, and often cow serum too.
That way there’s a risk of animal diseases being passed on to humans. “No one in their right mind would try and develop a cell product that was xeno-derived,”…
