Two significant advances in cell therapy, the notion of treating diseases with human cells instead of drugs, have been made by scientists at the National Institutes of Health and the University of Minnesota. One advance shows how embryonic stem cells can be converted into copious quantities of the exact type of brain cell that is lost in Parkinson's disease, a technique that might have possible use in therapy. The other research reports that cells surprisingly similar to embryonic stem cells can be isolated from people's bone marrow. I have heard rumors through the science grapevine that the stem cells isolated from people's bone marrow isn't as useful as true embryonic stem cells, although I don't know why that would be, other than the fact that they are adult stem cells, not embryonic. Interesting article forwarded to me by Jeremy. Scientists Make Two Stem Cell Advances | 
