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Stem cell reprogramming is now one hundred times more efficient
A new technique for reprogramming human cells into stem cells has been announced by researchers from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute. The new process has increased efficiency by one hundred-fold, generating cells of a higher quality at a faster rate. The technique is a milestone in human stem cell research, providing a foundation for realising the full potential of stem cell research.
In the future, stem cells could be used to replace damaged cells with healthy and functional cells. They are by nature unspecialised cells able to renew themselves through cell division – and can subsequently be induced to become tissue or organ cells. The potential effects of such a process on medicine would revolutionise organ replacement, bone replacement and the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. Yet more research is needed for these treatments to be realised, grounded on the 20 years of research that have gone before.
Up till now the cells have been reprogrammed using four specific regulatory proteins. Now the team has added two further regulatory factors - Retinoic acid receptor gamma (RAR-γ) and liver receptor homolog (Lrh-1) - and seen a dramatic improvement in the efficiency of the process. The cells produced are more robust and grow more easily.
“The reprogrammed cells developed by our team have proved to have the same capabilities as mouse stem cells,” states Pentao Liu, senior author from the Sanger Institute. “Our approach will enable researchers to easily engineer and reprogramme human stem cells to generate cell types for cell replacement therapies in humans.”
“This is the most promising and exciting development in our attempt to develop human stem cells that lend themselves in practical applications. It bears comparison to other technologies as it is simple, robust and reliable,” says Allan Bradley, Senior Group Leader and Director of Emeritus at Sanger Institute.
Click here to access the Sanger Institute.
Published: Tuesday, 11th October 2011 by Ellen Haggan
