It's been learned that a new method for creating multipurpose stem cells is already being used in a study on spinal injuries.

Researcher Haruko Obokata of Japan's Riken Center for Development Biology showed that simply subjecting cells to an acid bath can cause them to revert to a state like that of an embryonic stem cell.

It's the easiest way yet found to create stem cells, which scientists hope can be used in regenerative medicine.

It's now known that the new method is being used in a study at Harvard on monkeys paralyzed by spinal cord injuries.

The project is led by Harvard professor Charles Vacanti, who has worked with Obokata since 2008.

Fellow researcher Koji Kojima says they transplanted cells into monkeys, and some of them survived.

The team is also reportedly experimenting with human cells.