Researchers in Japan have made a breakthrough that could revolutionize medical care, by creating a low-cost way to reproduce stem cells.

A team lead by Professor Keiichi Fukuda at Keio University is aiming to grow human heart tissue with the new technique.

Producing ten billion of the fragile cells needed for one patient is no easy task.

The cost of a special liquid required to culture enough cells for one heart is about one hundred thousand dollars.

Fukuda and his team identified key nutrients necessary to culture the cells and succeeded in using cheaper materials to create a culturing liquid.

Costs are estimated at one-tenth the current method.

Fukuda hopes to begin clinical trials with cells created using the new technique within the next few years.