Stem cells: One more roadblock removed from the path to practical induced pluripotency

Darkfrog submitted, created time 3 months 3 days (blog.wired.com)

This team from the Whitehead Institute for Biological Research has moved induced pluripotent stem cells one step closer to maturity. Using a two-pronged approach, they used a virus to insert the genes into mouse cells, but employ a drug to switch them on and off. This makes hte cells less likely to turn cancerous. The process is written up in Nature Biotechnology. Unlike previous iPS techniques, this produces a culture of genetically identical cells, something that iPS to date had not yet been able to do.

This writeup is from Wired Science magazine but we'll probably see the results hitting Nature and Science shortly. However, I think this particular article is valuable because of the way it answers the layperson question, "So why do they still need embryos?"

"It's technically daunting and--from the perspective of a public frustrated at delays in promised stem cell therapies--incremental. But it's also the sort of keystone advance that lays the foundation for future breakthroughs," says one researcher.

Keywords: stem cells stem cell research embryonic stem cells induced pluripotent stem cells gene delivery Pluripotent stem cells