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Researchers turn urine into brain cells

Posted at 7:40 PM, Dec 11, 2012
and last updated 2012-12-11 19:40:14-05

(CNN) – Researchers in China have found a way to transform human urine into brain cells.

Scientists say when a person urinates, skin cells are typically shed from the lining in the kidney, and it’s these cells that researchers re-programmed into stem cells…

Stem cells can turn into any type of cell in the body, and in this case, scientists transformed the cells into neurons or brain cells.

The finding may new treatments for brain-attacking diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

The research appears in the journal, Nature Methods.