For the first time scientists have been able to derive genuine stem cells from rats. Researchers at the University of California have been able to achieve what can be termed as a major development in the history of medical research.

According to the study’s principal investigator Qi-Long Ying, this breakthrough would help researchers in creating effective animal models for investigating various diseases in humans.

"This is a major development in stem cell research because we know that rats are much more closely related to humans than mice in many aspects of biology," says Qi-Long Ying.

This research has given a chance to the scientists to get closer to creating "knockout" rats. These animals have some genetic modifications and lack one or more genes. Thus they can be used for biomedical research. By observing the effects of the removal of specific genes in animals, the researchers can identify the function of the gene and find its link to a specific disease.