Induced stem cell lines may soon be available from Harvard

Darkfrog submitted, created time 3 months 1 week (sciencenow.sciencemag.org)

A few weeks ago, we talked about how researchers had been able to take a cell from an ALS patient and develop a working, research-quality pluripotent cell line. Well the next step has been taken.

I've been saying that induced pluripotent stem cells might become the preferred research model (over embryonic stem cells), but only if they became easier to obtain than embryonic stem cells. It looks as though that might happen soon. The Harvard Stem Cell Institute is dedicating an iPS core lab. It is expected that Harvard will produce fifty to two hundred cell lines per year, making them available to other researchers at "nominal cost."

Before the political wings descend, I'd like to add something: We wouldn't be able to perform these feats now if the sceintific community hadn't spent years studying real embryonic stem cells. The anti-stem cell research side is probably going to leave that out of the equation, but it's there.

The advantage in using iPS for research is that, while it is theoretically possible to develop a stem cell line from an embryo that is later implanted into a woman and grown into a baby, it doesn't generally happen. iPS developed from adult patients have the advantage of a history. Researchers can look at the donor's medical records and see exactly what symptoms he or she developed during his or her lifetime. There are also fewer intellectual property issues.

The Harvard project is likely to provide better research models for adenosine deaminase deficiency-related severe combined immunodeficiency, Schwachman-Bodian-Diamond syndrome, Gaucher disease, two types of muscular dystrophy, Parkinson's, Huntington's, type I diabetes, Lesch-Nyhan syndrome, and Down's.

Keywords: stem cells stem cell lines stem cell research politics ethics intellectual property politics induced pluripotent stem cells iPS amyotrophic lateral sclerosis ALS lou gherigs disease