Scientists find safer way to make human stem cells

[IDemo]

By Julie Steenhuysen
Thu Mar 26, 2009 2:20pm EDT

CHICAGO, March 26 (Reuters) - U.S. researchers said on Thursday they have found a safer way to coax human skin cells into becoming powerful embryonic-like stem cells, taking a step closer to their potential use as treatments for diseases.

A team at the University of Wisconsin said they made the so-called induced pluripotent stem cells, or iPS cells, from human cells without using viruses or exotic genes, which leave behind genetic material that might pose risks if the cells were used as medical therapies.

James Thomson of the University of Wisconsin, whose study appears in the journal Science, said the finding represents the first time researchers have made human induced pluripotent stem cells without inserting potentially problematic new genes into their DNA.

Many teams are working on better ways to get ordinary skin cells to behave like embryonic stem cells, the body's master cells that give rise to all 220 cell types in the human body.

http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssHealthcareNews/idUSN2649941120090326

[Traveling_Home]

1. You mean that after all that divisive hate and conflict .....

, the fight over embryonic stem cells is gonna be a Emily Litella "Nevermind".

[Torn_Scorned_Ignored]

2. maybe

then they can throw those zygotes in the garbage where they belong.

sarcasm noted.

[IDemo]

3. The "Nevermind" may be a long time coming

The research on iPS cells doesn't lessen the need to continue with embryonic cells as well. Taking multiple paths is generally a better
way forward than throwing all your eggs in one Petri dish. It will be years in either case before actual treatments result, regardless of
which method ultimately prevails.

Nonetheless, the removal of virus DNA from the equation makes this a potentially huge leap for the adult stem cell researchers.