With giant pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) a beloved, but vulnerable species, scientists have long been searching for innovative ways to ensure their survival. Now, a multi-institution team may well have found one – they’ve successfully taken regular giant panda skin cells,

A team of biologists in China has reprogrammed skin cells from giant pandas into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), opening the door to creating primordial germ cells that could serve as precursors to sperm and egg cells.

Scientists have perfected the recipe to convert giant panda skin cells into stem cells to study the animal’s biology and aid its conservation.

For the first time, Chinese scientists have cultivated stem cells of giant pandas which is expected to offer materials for panda characteristics research as well as treatment for diseases without hurting any giant panda,