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Advance In Making Stem Cells From Skin

Posted by kdawson on from the we-don't-need-no-steenkin'-viruses dept.

KillerBob writes with an advance on the news from a year back that stem cells can be produced from human skin — discussed here. Now Canadian researchers have found a safe way to generate stem cells without using viruses to modify the genome, a process that can have its own dangers. "The ethical debate over embryonic stem cell use may soon be moot, thanks to a Canadian team of researchers who, together with a team out of Scotland, has found a safe way to grow stem cells from a patient's own skin. The revolutionary finding, described in a paper published yesterday by the international science journal Nature, means doctors may be one step closer to treating a multitude of diseases, including Alzheimer's, diabetes and Parkinson's."

5 of 139 comments (clear)

  1. article by ccharlot · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Any way to access the article without paying through the nose?

  2. By the way... by damn_registrars · · Score: 3, Interesting

    The universities in the study in question are both public universities. This is government science funding at work; its a shame it isn't US government science funding.

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  3. Also as important... by Y.A.A.P. · · Score: 3, Interesting

    The question of whether these cells can be re-differentiated without using a virus to reprogram the cells is an important question yet to be answered from this research.

    There is another important question to be addressed with this technique, however.

    The article mentions cancer as a side effect for virus-engineered stem cells and immune rejection for stem cells from other people.

    Would this technique manage to create stem cell-derived new cells without their own set of side effects?

    Cancer is assumed as a side effect of the virus-engineered stem cells only. Since any tissue being made from converted stem cells is put through accelerated growth, what safeguards are there against tumor growth (cancerous or non-cancerous) with this new technique?

    I ask this since I read another article noted tumor growth at stem-cell graft sites is common. That article didn't note whether these cases were from virus-engineered stem cells or not.

  4. Re:Wrong way around... by drosboro · · Score: 3, Interesting

    That would be the general idea, yes. But, unless I'm missing something, there's no actual clinical treatment for doing that for skin yet. If I am reading correctly, the only "production-ready" stem cell treatments are involving cancer (specifically leukemia and other blood-related cancers) - there's been some success at replenishing bone marrow after a round of chemo knocks out all of the existing marrow.

  5. Re:Just around the corner... by neokushan · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Just because something is controversial doesn't mean it's useless. I think you'll find that Science in general has a habit of being controversial (e.g. "Big Bang vs. God"), but that doesn't make the findings any less valuable or useful. Who knows what this research might lead into, it might be something really cool, it might be nothing, but there's a good chance that in future, OTHER research will be based upon it.

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