WASHINGTON, Aug. 4 (UPI) -- Researchers devised a method to obtain in vitro totipotent cells, which are made up of 1 or 2 cells and are capable of producing an entire embryo, including the placenta and umbilical cord.
Before researchers at the French National Health and Medical Research Institute obtained totipotent cells, researchers had only been able to get pluripotent cells. As cells divide further from 1 or 2 cells, totipotent cells turn into pluripotent ones -- more commonly known as embryonic stem cells -- which can form into tissues found throughout the body.