Skin cells to replace embryonic stem cells
Embryonic stem cells are derived from human embryos. They are valued as they are shown to be ‘pluripotent’ - having the capability to become any of the 220 types of cell in the human body. They have the potential to generate new heart, liver, brain, muscle and bone tissue to replace diseased or damaged tissue in people who are ill with cardiovascular, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and a whole range of other diseases including diabetes.
Thew topic of stem cell research and using stem cells from embryos has provoked serious ethical debates over the last few years. However, these debates may well draw to a close following this latest discovery.
A team of researchers at Wisconsin University, Madison in the US have reported that they have reprogramed human skin cells to behave like embryonic stem cells. They report that only the introduction of four genes is all that is needed to reprogram human somatic cells to pluripotent stem cells that exhibit the essential characteristics of embryonic stem cells.
James Thomson, the scientist who was the first to recover embryonic stem cells from human embryos back in 1998 advises that this latest breakthrough will completely change the field. He comments:
“The advantage of the new method is the fact that using cells drawn from the patient’s own skin means the stem cells can be customized to the patient bringing numerous benefits such as the elimination of immuno-system rejection.
The abstract can be found at:
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/1151526v1
Elaine Warburton
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POSTED IN: Companion diagnostics, General Genetics and Health, Genetic Engineering, Genetic Future, Genetic Ingenuity, Genetic Testing, cancer, gene therapy
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