Stem Cells Generated From Adult Cells

DrJay writes "Scientist report that introducing only four genes to adult cells is sufficient to convert them to something that looks and acts remarkably like an embryonic stem cell. Although some of the details need to be worked out, if this technique is generally applicable, it may allow the production of an essentially unlimited supply of stem cells. There is a subscription-only report, and Ars Technica's science journal describes the results in some detail for those without subscriptions."

Comments

Cells have rights too

[macadamia_harold]

What about the rights of the innocent human cells killed in this process? Have these scientists no moral fiber whatsoever?

Fantastic!

[Rik Sweeney]

I can finally grow myself a twin!

Oh wait, I already am one.

Quads it is then...

Re:Fantastic!

[krell]

"I can finally grow myself a twin!"

If it is the fifth (or later) season of the show, rest assured that this twin will be evil.

Something that turns you into an embryo

[krell]

Didn't "Star Trek" have an episode about a guy who had this condition?

Re:Something that turns you into an embryo

[IAmTheDave]

If Star Trek had had stem cells, they may have been able to give Jordi true-color vision. You know, on top of his X-Ray, heat, infared, and gamma-ray vision.

But, you know, ethics and Bible beaters all got in Jordi's way...

Re:Something that turns you into an embryo

[palindromic]

You know, I never did understand that.. 300 years into the future, warp drives, replication, matter-energy transport.. little beam things you can heal peoples wounds with perfectly, and they still couldn't figure out how to give a black man some eyes? Geordi went around looking like he was headed to a 90's gay club for what, seven seasons? And I like how when he finally was able to have eyes in Star Trek: Whatever he had red LED lights on his temples and whited out pupils. Way to go RACE-Trek

Of course this only works on mice so far

[the_humeister]

So if you're a mouse, we have so many cures for you. We even have cures for most cancers. Wake me up when scientists figure out how to do this with human cells.

Will this lead to...

[Anonymous Coward]

Will this lead to our eventual ability to grow brainless human meat in vats, the most ethical meat we can cook up?

Christian agenda needs more compelling slogan

[PunXX0r]

Life begins at ovum, illegalize menstruation!!!

Storage issue

[Itninja]

But won't the bodies start to stack up fast? I mean, there are only so many hobos that one can kill for their stem cells. They could fit like 1000 embreyos in one Tupperware bowl. Now they will have to have an entire U-Haul truck rented to store all the hobo corpses.

Biological scientific breakthroughs

[MECC]

But the key test came when they labeled these ESCs with a fluorescent tag and injected then into recently fertilized mouse embryos at a time when the embryos were a small cluster of cells. The progeny of the engineered ESCs glowed green, and were found in every tissue in these embryos as they developed, as well as throughout adults. There seems to be little that's different between regular ESCs and the engineered ESCs.

How is it that so often scientific biological breakthroughs are accomplished by making something glow green?

Scientist! Awesome!

[radarsat1]

Wicked, I had no idea Scientist could do this kind of stuff. And he's a great musician.

Strange though that he doesn't mention this kind of research on his myspace page.

Re:Three statements and a query.

[Frymaster]

Your body is made of lots of little parts. Most of your parts are screwed up. These can help make new parts to replace those broken parts. Any questions?

yes. what about the unborn babies??

Knew someone in that situation

[TimTucker]

I knew someone whose parents had tried to abort them (and would remind them of it) -- definitely not the happiest of situations to be in.