The discovery could help pave the way for lifesaving treatments for a variety of illnesses, with stem cells someday being used to repair or replace lost tissues.

Proof of Principle

Reporting in the journal Nature Biotechnology, researchers at biotech company CyThera said they have found a way to turn embryonic stem cells in endoderm, a layer of cells in human embryos that eventually develops into organs.

CyThera scientific director Emmanuel Baetge told the Times that "If you were to use human embryonic stem cells to make products that treat disease such as diabetes or liver failure, you would have to go through the endoderm stage to get [them]."

Experts have hailed the results as proof of principle that stem cells can be manipulated to give rise to endoderm, which has so far been extremely difficult to obtain.