Australian scientists have grown a human prostate gland from embryonic stem cells. They plan on using this method to study prostate abnormalities.

The study's co-authors, Prue Cowin and Renea Taylor, said their discovery will allow scientists to monitor the progression of the prostate from a normal to a diseased state for the first time.

"We need to study healthy prostate tissue from 15- (to) 25-year-old men to track this process," said Taylor. "Understandably, there is a lack of access to samples from men in this age group, so to have found a way we can have an ongoing supply of prostate tissue is a significant milestone."

"The tissue we've grown behaves as a normal human prostate, so it's the perfect model for testing the different hormones and environmental factors we believe play a role in the onset of prostate disease," said Cowin.