WP,pg1: Skin Cells Converted to Stem Cells

Skin Cells Converted to Stem Cells
Scientists 'Reprogram' Matter Without Using New Human Embryos

By Rick Weiss
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, August 22, 2005; Page A01

Scientists for the first time have turned ordinary skin cells into what appear to be embryonic stem cells -- without having to use human eggs or make new human embryos in the process, as has always been required in the past, a Harvard research team announced yesterday.

The technique uses laboratory grown human embryonic stem cells -- such as the ones that President Bush has already approved for use by federally funded researchers -- to "reprogram" the genes in a person's skin cell, turning that skin cell into an embryonic stem cell itself.

The approach, which is to be published later this week in the journal Science but was made public on the journal's Web site yesterday, is still in an early stage of development. But if further studies confirm its usefulness, it could offer an end run around the heated social and religious debate that has for years overshadowed the field of human embryonic stem cell research.

Since the new stem cells in this technique are essentially rejuvenated versions of a person's own skin cells, the DNA in those new stem cells matches the DNA of the person who provided the skin cells. In theory at least, that means that any tissues grown from those newly minted stem cells could be transplanted into the person to treat a disease without much risk that they would be rejected, because they would constitute an exact genetic match.

Until now, the only way to turn a person's ordinary cell into a "personalized" stem cell such as this was to turn that ordinary cell into an embryo first and later destroy the embryo to retrieve the new stem cells growing inside -- a process widely known as "therapeutic cloning."...


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/21/AR2005082101180.html

which can be directed to be any kind of cell needed to heal a disease......Study up on this and understand it before making up your mind.

and read the article before commenting on it.

which poses a significant barrier. They are NOT embryonic stem cells, and have many many many hurdles before they're even near being as useful.

Just because something has the potential to be useful several years in the future doesn't mean that you should drop the current techniques and just wait for the new ones to progress.

restrictions no matter what other breakthroughs there are. Culture of life my ass.

like embryonic stem cells this could be a huge compromise for both parties involved.

I have a close friend who's extensively-scarred from second and third degree burns when she was a baby. She lost part of some fingers and has scarring over much of her body and most of her head. She wears a wig and make-up at almost all times. (She's a super person - counsels kids at burn camps and works fulltime as an office adminstrator. Just got married a little over a year ago.) She's had many dozens of operations, many of which were to relieve strictures as she grew. (Scar tissue doesn't grow.) When we can find ways for burn victims to 'grown' new skin, many lives will be made far more bearable.

Wonder of it could work on other types of cells?

I have heard that this is the problem with stem cells harvested from skin cells and that is why real embryonic stem cells are far superior to skin ones.

Crosses fingers. Cmon cure.

but we are talking about "turned on" extra DNA that could just as likely cause rapid cancerous growth or other abnormalities. It's going to take a lot of work that will take many years. But biotech companies in India are already doing the embryonic cell research without restrictions so hopefully they will share their research.

"Just four years later, this seems to have occurred. According to Ernst & Young's Global Biotechnology Report in 2004, Indian biotechnology companies are expected to grow tenfold in the next five years, creating more than a million jobs. With more than 10,000 highly trained and cheaply available scientists, the country is one of the leading biotechnology powers along with Korea, Singapore, China, Japan, Sweden, Britain and Israel.

A top Indian corporation, the Reliance Group, owns Reliance Life Sciences, which is trying to devise new treatments for diabetes and Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases, and create human skin, blood and replacement organs genetically matched to their intended recipients. Some scientists have even more ambitious ideas. Encouraged by the cloning of a sheep by British scientists in 1996, they plan to do the same with endangered species of Indian lions and cheetahs."

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/21/weekinreview/21mishra.html