People could one day donate their stem cells in much the same way that they are currently asked to offer their organs for transplant. This is one possibility that comes out of a document just submitted to the UK expert panel now considering the future use of cloning to treat disease. Scientists believe that by controlling the development of such cells they will be able to grow-up in the lab a range of tissues that could then be used to restore or replace diseased areas of the body. Organs damaged by injuries or disease do not always need replacing, and repair would be possible if a suitable source of tissues was available.
Stem cells are a potential source of such tissues.
The report is being considered by the Chief Medical Officer for England's expert panel on therapeutic cloning. It has been asked to advise the government on scientific, ethical and legal issues. Its assessment will also cover the implications for stem cell studies. Therapeutic cloning is controversial because it would require the creation, and experimentation on, large numbers of human embryos. But Professor Gardner told BBC News Online that the use of such early stem cells was likely to remain inefficient for the foreseeable future.