Stem cells in the news....the biggest story in recent months was reported this week. It has to do with a much better way to harvest induced pluripotent stem cells, iPSC, the cells that start out as a fully differentiated cell (a skin cell, for example) and are reverse-programmed to a primitive state; these cells appear to be nearly as pure and as full of potential as embryonic stem cells, but with less ethical uncertainly; there is no need for an embryo.
The process of rewinding a cell involves rebooting its genetic coding. Until now, this process was slow and rather inefficient. A group at the Weitzmann Institute in Israel reported in Nature that they found a way to increase iPSC yield 100 fold, and shortened the time this takes from four weeks to eight days. The paper is titled “Deterministic direct reprogramming of somatic cells to pluripotency.” Read more: http://www.spinalcordinjury-paralysis.org/research/2013/09/24/stem-cell-update-ipsc-breakthrough-trial-news?msource=email
