Washington: Primordial germinal cells, which are precursors to spermatozoids, apparently have the capacity of turning into embryonic stem cells, according to a study made public today.

Embryonic stem cells can be converted into different types of cells and subsequently tissues, thus offering the hope to fight a number of diseases that have thus far remained incurable. Researcher from the Georgetown school of medicine and a Washington-based regional transplant consortium known as WRTC have obtained these primordial germinal cells shortly after donors deaths.

These cells knows as CGPM were separated using a process that involves enzymes. When the CGPM cells were placed in human embryonic stemcell cultures, they formed colonies that had characteristics similar to stem cells, according to Doctors Martin Dym and Nady Golestaneh, the main authors of the study presented here at a conference of the American Society for Cell Biology.

When these colonies of stem cells were allowed to grow and multiply, they displayed characteristics similar to somite entoblast and ectoblast cells found in an embryo. This has led the researchers to believe that primordial germinal cells have a great potential for organ regeneration therapies. Doctor Dym pointed out that one could imagine a day when men could be cured from various diseases through testicular biopsy.

Source : PTI