A Japanese Stem Cell Scientist At The Heart Of A Scandal Over False Claims And Fabricated Research Has Resigned.

Dr Haruko Obokata published supposedly groundbreaking research showing stem cells could be made quickly and cheaply.

There were irregularities in data, no other group in the world could repeat her findings and her own university concluded it could not be done.

In a statement Dr Obokata said: "I even can't find the words for an apology."

Stem cells can become any other type of tissue and hold great potential in medicine.

They are already being investigated to heal the damage caused by a heart attack and to restore sight.

But they are expensive and difficult to produce and one source - embryos - raises serious ethical questions.

'Major discovery'

Dr Obokata's scientific paper published in the prestigious journal Nature claimed that stem cells could be produced from normal adult cells by dipping them into acid for a 30-minute shock period.

The announcement of the creation of these "Stap" cells (stimulus-triggered acquisition of pluripotency) sent shockwaves around the world.

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Stem Cell Scandal Scientist Haruko Obokata Resigns