A patient's own blood has been used to make personalised stem cells, which doctors hope will eventually be used to treat a range of diseases.
The team at the University of Cambridge says this could be one of the easiest and safest sources of stem cells.
In a study, published in the journal Stem Cells: Translational Medicine, the cells were used to build blood vessels. However, experts cautioned that the safety of using such stem cells was still unclear.
Stem cells are one of the great hopes of medical research. They can transform into any other type of cell the body is built from - so they should be able to repair everything from the brain to the heart, and eyes to bone.
The team at Cambridge looked in blood samples for a type of repair cell that whizzes through the bloodstream repairing any damage to the walls of blood vessels. These were then converted into stem cells.
Dr Amer Rana said this method was better than taking samples from skin.
Prof Chris Mason, an expert on regenerative medicine at University College London, said there was some "beautiful work" coming out of the lab in Cambridge.
The British Heart Foundation said these cells had "great potential".
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-20539835
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