"Tinkering with the testes"

Guardian:

British scientists have been granted permission to investigate whether stem cells found deep inside testicles can be used to repair damaged tissues and organs.

Researchers led by fertility specialist Robert Winston at the Hammersmith hospital in London will pluck cells from testicular tissue to see if they are as versatile as embryonic stem cells, which can potentially grow into any tissue in the body.

If the scientists succeed in harvesting the cells and keeping them alive, they could pave the way for powerful new therapies for conditions as diverse as heart disease, Parkinson's and spinal cord injuries, without the need to destroy human embryos to collect them. The work has been given the green light by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority.

Embryos used in stem cell research are either donated from fertility clinics or created using therapeutic cloning, a practice some critics condemn as unethical and disrespectful to life because the embryo is destroyed in the procedure. In practical terms there is also a shortage of human eggs needed to make cloned embryos.

The scientists believe 0.3% of tissue in the testes is made up of stem cells, one of the highest counts in the body. "We've been tinkering with the testes for a year or two now, but what we don't know yet is how reliably we can get stem cells from them," said Lord Winston.

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