The Year in Regenerative Medicine
| Autor: | Olga Genbacev, Stephen Dalton, Emily J. Culme-Seymour, Charlotte Barker, Alberto Hayek |
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| Rok vydání: | 2011 |
| Předmět: | |
| Zdroj: | Regenerative Medicine. 6:21-30 |
| ISSN: | 1746-076X 1746-0751 |
| DOI: | 10.2217/rme.10.95 |
| Popis: | Induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells have continued to generate excitement, with new sources and methods of derivation being developed every month (see special focus issue ‘Cellular reprogramming and iPS cells’ published in Regenerative Medicine [101], for a range of articles exploring the potential of iPS cells). The potential of iPS cells is being explored in a variety of regenerative medicine applications. Scientists at Stanford University, CA, USA, have developed a way to produce mouse cells that look and act just like the animal’s inner-ear hair cells [1]. The report, published in May, could prove to be key to helping scientists understand the molecular basis of hearing, in order to develop better treatments for deafness. More recently, it was announced that neurons derived from iPS cells are functional and have successfully been used to treat a rat model of Parkinson’s disease [2]. Rats with a mid-brain injury mimicking Parkinson’s disease were transplanted with dopamineproducing neurons derived from human iPS cells and were found to have better motor skills than the control rats. “The studies are very encouraging for potential cell therapies for Parkinson’s disease,” said Alan Trounson, PhD, the President of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine. There has also been progress in direct reprogramming of adult cells from one cell type to another. In January, researchers from the Stanford University School of Medicine (CA, USA) succeeded in turning mouse skin cells directly into functional nerve cells by adding just three genes [3]. Ieda et al. achieved a similar goal in reprogramming fibroblasts into cardiomyocytes [4]. This has also led to speculation regarding the nature of iPS cells. “It may be hard to prove, but I no longer think that the induction of iPS cells is a reversal of development,” commented Wernig. “It’s probably more of a direct conversion like what we’re seeing here, from one cell type to another that just happens to be more embryoniclike. This tips our ideas about epigenetic regulation upside down.” In late September, a new method of reprogramming, using synthetic mRNAs, was revealed by researchers at Harvard Stem Cell Institute. The new technique, which uses RNA both to induce pluripotency and to reprogram the resulting pluripotent cells into the desired adult cell type, avoids altering cellular DNA, and therefore the resulting cells should be safe for use in medical applications [5]. New sources for iPS cells are also being explored. In September it was announced that iPS cells have been created from human gums for the first time, by researchers in Japan. Hiroshi Egusa, Graduate School of Dentistry at Osaka University, led the project alongside Shinya Yamanaka, Kyoto University. Speaking to Regnerative Medicine, Egusa explained. We have shown that easily obtainable gum tissues can be used as an iPS cell source and The Year in Regenerative Medicine |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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