The whole point of this announced breakthrough is that they believe they have gotten these cells to have all the qualities of embryonic stem cells. I.e. they are totipotent; can be turned into any and all types of cells. For use in treatments, they would interfere with the cells’ development to steer them into becoming only certain types of cells or a certain organ, but without such steering they would develop into a complete embryo. If they can’t develop into a complete embryo, then they are also limited in what types of cells/organs they can be steered to develop into.
The problem with “adult” stem cells is that they cannot be turned into any and all types of cells needed — certain adult stem cells can be turned into a limited number of cell types, but they have all gone too far down the path of the differentiation to be turned into other cell types. What these researchers claim to have done is to have taken an adult cell and engineered it back to the embryonic state, from which it CAN develop into all cell types. They seem unsure as to whether they have really gotten 100% of the way there, but they know they need to get 100% of the way there in order for their technique to be really useful for what they’re hoping it will be useful for.
The tumor problem is over-hyped (and not entirely limited embryonic cells), but it will be solved in due course like all the other challenges.
If what they have is a 100% totipotent cell, what they have is a Day 1 embryo. There’s no advantage here over using IVF embryos -— except that they won’t have to hyperovulate females to get more “raw material”: for which I will give a quarter of a hooray.
Not all embryonic stem cells are totipotent, fool. Only prior to differentiation into placenta and inner cell mass are embryonic stem cells totipotent. Once differentiation starts, the differing cell lines are being built and these are pluripotent. Your anti-god, anti-life smarminess is spittling forth . Just shut up and read the entite article instead of trying to start an argument to promote your godless idiocies.