Positivity: Scientists Closer to Making Safe Patient-Specific Stem Cells Without Killing Unborn <http://www.bizzyblog.com/2009/10/19/positivity-scientists-closer-to-making-safe-patient-specific-stem-cells-without-killing-unborn/>
Filed under: Life-Based News <http://www.bizzyblog.com/category/life-based-news/>, Positivity <http://www.bizzyblog.com/category/positivity/> --- TBlumer @ 5:56 am From LifeNews.com <http://www.lifenews.com/nb230.html> (paragraph breaks and internal links added by me): *Scientists are a big step closer to their long-term of goal of creating patient-specific stem cells that are safe to use and don't require the destruction of embryos.* Induced pluripotent stem cells -- also known as iPS cells -- are all the rage in the nascent field of regenerative medicine. Like embryonic stem cells, they have the potential to become any type of cell in the body and could be used to grow replacement parts, such as insulin-producing beta cells for diabetes patients or nerve cells for repairing spinal cord injuries. Even better, they can be made by reprogramming skin or other cells from the patients who need them. That not only eliminates the need to use embryos, it ensures that the replacement tissues made from iPS cells are genetically matched to patients and won't be rejected by the body's immune system. But there's still a big catch: In order to rewind adult cells to a pluripotent state, researchers have to turn on a set of dormant genes that have the potential to cause tumors. So do the viruses they use to activate those genes. So researchers have been looking for ways around this problem. One approach is to snip out the genes and viruses once the reprogramming is complete. Another is to use DNA sequences called transposons in place of viruses, then delete the transposons after they're no longer needed. One group of researchers has even used genetic engineering to modify the key genes so that they can enter the skin cells without requiring viruses or transposons. But many scientists think the safest approach is to replace the genes altogether with so-called small molecules. In a study published online today in the journal Cell Stem Cell (abstract here <http://www.cell.com/cell-stem-cell/abstract/S1934-5909%2809%2900508-6>), researchers from the Harvard Stem Cell Institute report that a single compound they dubbed RepSox can replace two of the four key reprogramming genes. "We're halfway home, and remarkably we got halfway home with just one chemical," senior author Kevin Eggan, a professor in Harvard's department of stem cell and regenerative biology, said in a statement. The Harvard Science and Engineering announcement is here <http://www.harvardscience.harvard.edu/foundations/articles/harvard-team-reports-major-step-forward-cell-reprogramming>. Comments Off --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum * Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/ * It's active and moderated. Register and vote in our polls. * Read the latest breaking news, and more. -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
