find a new way to obtain iPS cells - The País.com (Spain)

related research leading star of regenerative medicine, stem cells iPS is at boiling point. After recent announcements like making them microhígados or authorization of the first clinical trial related to the creation of retinas (both in Japan), researchers at the Center for Regenerative Medicine in Barcelona and the Salk Institute in California have joined this race with doubly attractive work published Thursday Cell Stem Cell .

one hand, because they have developed a novel alternative recipe that has been used until now to slow clock convert adult cells and adult cells induced pluripotent stem (iPS) and, by therefore able to develop into any other cell line.

But in addition, the procedure used to obtain iPS is much more subtle than the conventional. No need to reprogram the cell by introducing factors (genes) characteristic of stem cells from the embryonic stage. Simply alter the expression of other genes (at least seven) who are already active in the adult cell and adjust its activity. This means, as Juan Carlos Izpisúa, coordinator of the researchers involved in the work, that adult cells have greater plasticity than previously thought. And above all,-this is the second major contribution of work-you can think of and, according to Izpisúa, a new paradigm of regenerative medicine.

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There would be limited to the strategy of creating iPS stem cells in the laboratory to become tissue or organs for transplant the new kidney or liver manufactured in sick. “Thanks to the plasticity of adult cells that we observed may be easier to induce endogenous regeneration body itself.” That is, rather than replace, it could intervene in the diseased liver adult cells, transforming them into iPS and so, once converted into stem cells, try to generate new healthy liver cells to regenerate the organ.

The original recipe of Shinya Yamanaka iPS introduced in 2007, which earned him the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 2012.