Stem Cells "Treat Heart Attacks"

For the first time, scientists have succeeded in using a person's own bone marrow stem cells to help repair the heart after a heart attack. And in a different study, researchers have transformed adult skin cells into precursor nerve cells, which may have implications for Parkinson's and other diseases. These advances, both appearing in the July 10 issue of The Lancet, have prompted the journal, in an editorial, to exhort scientists to start arguing the case for the benefits of stem cell research. Scientists have long been looking for ways to restore damaged heart muscle.