Press TV - Iran has emerged as the leading stem cell researcher in the Middle East, due to its innovative scientific investigations in this field.

Iran was previously reported at the 10th country in the world to produce, culture and freeze human embryonic stem cells.

According to Mohammad Reza Mohammad Hassani, the general secretary of the 10th National Congress on Cardiovascular Updates, stem cell research in Iran dates back to 2003, when the first stem cell transplant to a patient with heart failure was performed.

He said the achievements in this field had led to a successful stem cell transplant to the heart of a 11-year-old boy a few weeks ago.

Mohammad Hassani added that Iranian researchers had published their scientific findings in several national and international peer reviewed journals.

Stem cell research is one of the most promising research areas in modern biomedicine. However, due to moral and ethical debates it remains a controversial issue in many regions of the world.