Recently, researchers have produced stem cells through a breakthrough reprogramming procedure. The discovery is huge but they still say that it’s too soon to abandon embryonic stem cells.

Research on embryonic stem cells, also known as ESCs, unfortunately, requires the destruction of week-old embryos, a procedure that many social conservatives disapprove as it is considered murder. ESCs are characterized by their incredible propriety to become any other kind of cell and could someday be used to regenerate limbs and treat now-incurable diseases.

Last month, researchers from Japan and the United States announced that they had created a new form of stem cells that behave like ESCs. The stem cells were made by reprogramming adult skin cells with a few extra genes. This breakthrough brings relief among people who were against the destroying of embryos for ESCs research. This way, in the near future, people may benefit from stem cell technology without the ethical controversy.

The scientists emphasized that the research must continue with both methods. The new reprogramming technique is in its early stage and it needs further refinement as the stem cells tend to turn cancerous and might not prove to be a medical panacea. They said that every type of stem cell research has its own strengths and weaknesses and every insight is valuable as the main purpose is to create a technology that can be applied directly to humans.