[link to www.transdifferentiation.com]

Transdifferentiation means converting one sort of cell into another.

Our bodies are composed of a huge array of cells. There are about 300 different types of cell, each specialised for a specific function. For example the nerve cells conduct signals around the body, muscle cells contract to produce movement and intestinal cells absorb food from the gut.

Many common diseases such as cancer, heart disease or stroke, cause damage to specific structures and organs within the body. To repair the organs requires being able to regenerate the correct types of cell in the damaged areas. One possible method is to graft in stem cells, which may be able to replace any type of cell. Another possiblilty is to replace the missing function by causing transdifferentiation (or conversion) of existing cells. This strategy is likely to work best in the case of endocrine organs whose function is to secrete hormones into the blood. This is because the exact location of an endocrine gland within the body does not matter, and, so long as it has access to the bloodstream, a replacement organ could be successfully created by transdifferentiation in an unusual position

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Wow, AC...one can imagine the amazing implications of this for the Health Sector. Thank you very much.