Washington - Two separate teams of researchers said yesterday they had discovered reliable ways to coax human embryonic stem cells into becoming brain cells. Their work is seen as a step forward in the controversial field of stem cell research, which scientists say holds the promise of treating a range of diseases.
Both teams, writing in the journal Nature Biotechnology, said they coaxed the stem cells into becoming the three types of brain cells - astrocytes, oligodendrocytes and mature neurons - operating in the brains of new-born mice.
