A new avenue to iPS

Darkfrog submitted, created time 1 month 3 weeks (www.nature.com)

Researchers from Harvard have found that using adenoviruses to reprogram cells can avoid some of the risk of making induced pluripotent stem cells. Instead of integrating into the host cell's DNA, the adenoviruses express the genes themselves.

So far, the experiments have only been successful in mouse tail and liver cells, which are much less hard to work with than primate cells and tissues. In addition, the overall success rate is much lower than that of integrating virus methods, reprograming cells only 0.0001% to 0.001% of the time

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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

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Nature takes a look at in-vitro fertilization's past, present and future

Darkfrog submitted, created time 4 months 3 days (www.nature.com)

This article is a comprehensive look at the past and future of artificial babymaking. It covers IVF, the possible use of iPS to make gametes. It covers ethics, public relations, and economics...

The part that I like best? IVF has "gone as far as it can" with regards to what it can do, so the next focus is on making it cheaper. The article discusses the woman in a developing country who, on top of her own wishes for a family, faces discrimination for her infertility

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Be still my beating stem cell heart

sea-maid submitted, created time 6 months 1 week (www.newscientist.com)

There's a new recipe in the embryonic stem cell cookbook. Scientists have announced the creation of a human master heart cell, able to transform into all the different cells that make up a beating heart. In this study, the scientists have begun experiments to transform iPS cells into the heart cells.

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Good News: Stem Cells Overpower Muscle Disease