NEW YORK -- Harvard scientists said they have used a new technique to create stem cells for 10 genetic diseases, a step they hope will speed up efforts to find new treatments.

The researchers plan to make the cell lines readily available to other scientists.

Dr. George Daley and his colleagues at the Harvard Stem Cell Institute used ordinary skin cells and bone marrow from people with a variety of diseases, including Parkinson's and Down syndrome, to produce the stem cells.

Doug Melton, the Harvard institute's co-director, said he thinks the development will open the door in the years ahead to a new way to treat degenerative diseases.