A Japanese stem cell scientist at the heart of a scandal over false claims and fabricated research has resigned.
Dr Haruko Obokata published supposedly groundbreaking research showing stem cells could be made quickly and cheaply.
There were irregularities in data, no other group in the world could repeat her findings and her own university concluded it could not be done.In a statement Dr Obokata said: “I even can’t find the words for an apology.”
Stem cells can become any other type of tissue and hold great potential in medicine.
They are already being investigated to heal the damage caused by a heart attack and to restore sight.
But they are expensive and difficult to produce and one source – embryos – raises serious ethical questions. – BBC News
