British scientists have created the first known batch of "gold standard" stem cells which could one day lead to a new wave of treatments for degenerative diseases. The stem cells, taken from human embryos and grown in the lab, are of unprecedented quality and could be offered to researchers before the end of next year for eventual use in clinical trials. Previous embryonic stem cell (ESC) trials in humans have used lower-quality "research grade" cells, which are manipulated and reclassified into