Skin transformed into stem cells (Post 6)

Now, as a follow up to my postings about stem cells and stuff, I will now report on a interesting news atircle from BBC news. This article is about human skin cells have been reprogrammed by two groups of scientists to mimic embryonic stem cells with the potential to become any tissue in the body. Below is the diagram of how skin cells are transformed into other cells, compared to therapeutic cloning.



This breakthrough meant that such research is no longer dependent on using cells from human embryos, which has proved highly controversial as some people question the point of sacrificing human embryos for the sake of scientific research.

Until then only cells taken from embryos were thought to have an unlimited capacity to become any of the 220 types of cell in the human body - a so-called pluripotent state.

This breakthrough was discovered by Japanese researchers. As a result,they used a chemical cocktail containing just four gene-controlling proteins to transform adult human fibroblasts - skin cells that are easy to obtain and grow in culture - into a pluripotent state.

The cells created were similar, but not identical, to embryonic stem cells, and the researchers used them to produce brain and heart tissue.

Using skin cells should mean that treatments could be personalised for individual patients, minimising the risk of rejection.

In conclusion, I feel that the discovery of being able to use skin cellls for research is a breakthrough and that more of this findings should happen in the future. Go, scientists and researchers!!!! :)

Here is the original URL : http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7101834.stm