Human skin grown in lab 'can replace animal testing' (BBC)

[eppur_se_muova]

By Helen Briggs
BBC News

Skin grown in the laboratory can replace animals in drug and cosmetics testing, UK scientists say.

A team led by King's College London has grown a layer of human skin from stem cells - the master cells of the body.

Stem cells have been turned into skin before, but the researchers say this is more like real skin as it has a permeable barrier.

It offers a cost-effective alternative to testing drugs and cosmetics on animals, they say.
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Scientists have been able to grow epidermis from human skin cells removed by biopsy for several years, but the latest research goes a step further.
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more: http://www.bbc.com/news/health-27129861

[FiveGoodMen]

1. "It offers a cost-effective alternative to testing drugs and cosmetics on animals"

I'm glad it's cost-effective, but isn't the fact that we wouldn't have to torture animals the real good news?

[GreenPartyVoter]

3. Agreed!

[eppur_se_muova]

4. If it saved animals from torture but weren't cost-effective, what would happen to it ?

No need to answer, we all know what would (not) happen.

[Judi Lynn]

5. Yes, we surely do. n/t

[The Traveler]

2. Now, I call THAT progress!

Great news. Thanks for passing this around.

Trav