Australian researchers have grown mouse mammary glands from stem cells in a step to better understanding breast cancer.
The research also reinforces the idea that complex organs such as lungs, intestines and breasts can be grown from human stem cells for regenerative treatments.
The researchers, from Melbourne’s Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, say it’s the first time a complex organ other than skin has been grown from a single stem cell.
The project could help scientists understand the development of other organs, one of the lead researchers, Jane Visvader, said.
It also has important ramifications for cancer research, she said.
Scientists will be able to investigate how gene mutations occur, disrupting normal mammary development and eventually causing breast cancer.