Scientists develop stem cell harvesting without harming embryo

US SCIENTISTS say they have developed a way of harvesting stem cells without destroying the embryo they grow in.

The Massachusetts-based Advanced Cell Technology removed embryonic stem cells from mice embryos with no apparent damage, the journal, Nature, said.

Scientists believe it would sidestep some ethical objections to stem cell research if repeated in humans. If successfully replicated in humans, stem cells taken from an embryo could be stored and used potentially to cure the individual in later life.