Washington, Aug. 22 (Reuters): US researchers said today they have created a new human embryonic stem cell by fusing an embryonic stem cell to an ordinary skin cell.

They hope their method could someday provide a way to create tailor-made medical treatments without having to start from scratch using cloning technology.

That would mean generating the valuable cells without using a human egg, and without creating a human embryo, which some people find objectionable.

But the team, led by stem cell expert Dr Douglas Melton, Kevin Eggan and others at Harvard Medical School, stress in a report to be published in next Friday’s issue of the journal Science that their method is not yet perfect.

Stem cells are the body's master cells, used to continually regenerate tissues, organs and blood. Those taken from days-old embryos are considered the most versatile.