Stem cells generated in live mice

Featured Article Academic Journal Main Category: Stem Cell Research Also Included In: Biology / Biochemistry Article Date: 12 Sep 2013 - 8:00 PDT

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A team of scientists in Spain has reprogrammed adult cells in live mice to revert to stem cells that appear as potent as embryonic stem cells.

The team reports its findings online this week in the journal Nature. The study is the first to achieve in living tissue what so far has only been possible in a petri dish.

Embryonic stem cells represent the "gold standard" in stem cell research and regenerative medicine, since they are the only stem cells capable of differentiating into any of the hundreds of cell types in the body.

The hope is that harnessing this ability to differentiate into any cell type will lead to treatments that can cure diseases like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and diabetes.

However, there are ethical problems about sourcing embryonic stem cells, as well as practical difficulties, since they have a very short lifespan during the early development of the embryo.

Thus, there is a need to find alternative ways to make stem cells that are as good as embryonic stem cells.

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Stem cells generated in live mice