Stem cells allow drug trials in a dish

Bay Area researchers are working with a technique that could soon revolutionize the way new medicines are developed. By using stem cells, they are conducting what amounts to human drug trials, in a dish.

Tiny cardiac cells could be sick, but that is a good thing, at least for researchers. The cells match those of a patient suffering from a rare and deadly heart condition.

"We can actually make heart cells right in a dish that's genetically identical to a person, then we can give drugs to those cells and have the heart speed up or slow down and so we're doing clinical trials in a dish right now," Dr. Bruce Conklin said. KGO-TV (video)