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Chemical Treatment Transforms Skin Cells Into Neurons

Posted by samzenpus on from the from-one-thing-to-another dept.

An anonymous reader writes: Two teams of researchers have independently succeeded in turning skin cells into neurons using a chemical cocktail. One group used human cells from healthy individuals and Alzheimer's patients, and the other used cells from mice. Sciencemag reports: "Molecular and cell biologists say the technique could become an important player in personalized medicine, specifically in using a patient's own cells to develop therapies for their disease or even to provide a source of transplantable cells for treatment."

25 comments

  1. Perfect Cell by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Fist.

    1. Re:Perfect Cell by davester666 · · Score: 1

      hey, that's my brain you are touching!

      --
      Sleep your way to a whiter smile...date a dentist!
  2. web of trust by Pseudonymous+Powers · · Score: 1

    As a layman, I find it hard to know how much faith I should have in these claims, given that an almost identical claim made in recent years was touted widely in the news media and then turned out to be falsified.

    1. Re: web of trust by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Both teams are Chinese - don't beleive it until Europeans or Americans replicate it.

    2. Re:web of trust by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Immortality will be invented shortly after you die. And it will be too expensive for your kids to afford.

    3. Re: web of trust by K.+S.+Kyosuke · · Score: 1

      There will soon be a correction in the news that the teams actually succeeded in converting all their brain cells into skin cells.

      --
      Ezekiel 23:20
  3. Jabba the Hut approves. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    He will be first in line for this.

  4. Apply to penis by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I can't wait to think with my penis!

    1. Re:Apply to penis by Aaden42 · · Score: 2

      You jest, but it would be nice if the folks at Foregen (foregen.org) started examining techniques like this.

  5. Or for Republicans,... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    it transfers them back into their basic state, morons.

    1. Re:Or for Republicans,... by aristotle-dude · · Score: 0

      it transfers them back into their basic state, morons.

      Don't you mean democrats? You love Hillary even if she was killing people in the streets. You would vote for Hillary no matter what.

      --
      Jesus was a compassionate social conservative who called individuals to sin no more.
    2. Re:Or for Republicans,... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It sucks many of us will have to vote for her. I don't like her, but I like the Repubs even less.

    3. Re:Or for Republicans,... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'll write in Sanders before I vote Trump or Hillary

    4. Re:Or for Republicans,... by bondsbw · · Score: 1

      After last night's Republican debates, I'm thinking Trump won't be running against her.

      I was actually kind of impressed... it wasn't nearly the clown show I was expecting.

      --
      All my liberal friends think I'm a conservative, all my conservative friends think I'm a liberal.
    5. Re:Or for Republicans,... by danbert8 · · Score: 1

      In the words of the wise Yoda, "And that is why you fail."

      --
      Yes it's an anecdote! Were you expecting original research in a Slashdot comment?
    6. Re:Or for Republicans,... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      CAN'T STUMP THE TRUMP

  6. Didn't Barclay turn into a spider with this? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Wasn't this a ST:TNG episode?

  7. skin has been used for cartilage replacement by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Oskar Koneczny in Germany had done cartilage replacement for years in Germany using the patients own skin. His book "Die Koriumplastik in der Gelenk-und Extremitatenchirurgie" describes the procedure in some detail. Unfortunately, no one in this country seems to have picked up on this.

  8. That sounds really painful... raw nerves. by GungaDan · · Score: 1

    All I can picture in my head right now is the ATHF episode where Carl's skin gets transformed into eyeballs. Whole new meaning to "Ow! My Balls!" there.

    --
    Eloi are stupid, throw morlocks at them!
    1. Re:That sounds really painful... raw nerves. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If I recall, Carl lost his body when testing Frylock's new toilet. His head remained. I think they ended up getting some bio-waste, eyeballs, in which they used to build that body. Something like that.

  9. Excellent by puddingebola · · Score: 2

    Now I will be able to turn my entire epidermis into neurons increasing my thought capacity by a factor of 12. However, I may start to hallucinate when I put on sunscreen.

  10. Next week's story by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Next week's story:
    Scientists struggling to find way to prevent applied chemicals from transforming all skin cells into neurons.

  11. skin as neurons! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    My external brain can feel the wind!
    And, as my lover approaches, wild thoughts and sweat come forth...
    Please touch my cerebellum! Or my cerebrum! Or my stem.........

  12. 2 words: Suh - Weet! by Snotnose · · Score: 1

    Now I can put all that extra skin around my gut to good use! Us fatties will be the smartest people in the room. Bwahahaha!!!!

  13. Answer this question, K.S. Kyosuke by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    What it's taste like "eating your words" http://slashdot.org/comments.p... ?

    APK

    P.S.=> Especially since you had to wash those words of yours down with "the bitter taste of SELF-DEFEAT", ramming them down your throat with your foot since you STUCK YOUR FOOT RIGHT IN YOUR MOUTH? apk