A group of Australian scientists have made a breakthrough in research into prostate cancer, achieving a world first by using mouse tissue to grow a human prostate.

The team at the Monash Institute of Medical Research, located in Melbourne, Australia's second largest city, made the discovery after combining human embryonic stem cells with mouse prostate cells and implanting them in mice.

Australian Broadcasting Corporation on Thursday quoted Renea Taylor, who was involved in the study, as saying scientists previously had no way to look at healthy prostates.

She said the groundbreaking research will help scientists better understand how prostate diseases develop.

"This is a novel use of embryonic stem cells, where we're using them to benefit us scientifically and to further our understanding in the laboratory," she said.

"We've now got a model that we can easily test potentially new clinical therapies for prostate disease," she said.