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Only $120...huge potential
4/25/10, Moniker
From Reuters 3 days ago:
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.
Scientists hope to harness the unique qualities of these cells to create new treatments for a variety of medical conditions.
Induced pluripotent stem cells promise many of the possible therapeutic benefits of embryonic stem cells without the ethics controversy because, unlike embryonic stem cells, they can be created without destroying a human embryo.
And excerpts from an MSN article:
Farther down the line, researchers could find ways to tweak the DNA in IPS cells to fix genetic flaws and create healthy tissue tailor-made for you. For example, UW-Madison dermatologist Joyce Teng is already looking into whether cells can be tweaked to fix rare genetic skin condition known as ichthyosis, Kamp said.
It will take a lot of samples to build an IPS cell bank. Kamp said many of the lines could be reprogrammed using cells held by other biobanks, such as the Coriell Institute for Medical Research as well as UW's own National Stem Cell Bank. Other disease-specific lines might have to come from new donors, however.
The more likely scenario is that your doctor would go to the cell bank and pick out the IPS cell type that was the closest genetic match - following the medical model set for bone marrow transplants (which is one of the oldest forms of stem-cell therapy).
4/25/10, Moniker
From Reuters 3 days ago:
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.
Scientists hope to harness the unique qualities of these cells to create new treatments for a variety of medical conditions.
Induced pluripotent stem cells promise many of the possible therapeutic benefits of embryonic stem cells without the ethics controversy because, unlike embryonic stem cells, they can be created without destroying a human embryo.
And excerpts from an MSN article:
Farther down the line, researchers could find ways to tweak the DNA in IPS cells to fix genetic flaws and create healthy tissue tailor-made for you. For example, UW-Madison dermatologist Joyce Teng is already looking into whether cells can be tweaked to fix rare genetic skin condition known as ichthyosis, Kamp said.
It will take a lot of samples to build an IPS cell bank. Kamp said many of the lines could be reprogrammed using cells held by other biobanks, such as the Coriell Institute for Medical Research as well as UW's own National Stem Cell Bank. Other disease-specific lines might have to come from new donors, however.
The more likely scenario is that your doctor would go to the cell bank and pick out the IPS cell type that was the closest genetic match - following the medical model set for bone marrow transplants (which is one of the oldest forms of stem-cell therapy).
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