Complexity Digest 2011.16 - 14
2011/08/19
Editor-in-Chief: Carlos Gershenson
Founding Editor: Gottfried Mayer
Regenerative medicine: Bespoke cells for the human brain, Nature
Excerpt: A major goal for biomedical researchers has been to repair damaged cells and tissues by reinitiating the body's developmental mechanisms. In this respect, the use of embryonic stem cells â€" and of induced pluripotent stem cells, which are generated by reprogramming differentiated adult cells â€" has seemed promising. But these cells come with various problems, including ethical concerns, and potential tumorigenicity and rejection by the host immune system. Three papers in this issue describe the direct conversion of neurons from skin fibroblast cells. There is hope, although no compelling evidence, that neurons generated in this way might be superior to those generated from induced pluripotent stem cells, thereby sidestepping the problems of using such cells
- Source: Regenerative medicine: Bespoke cells for the human brain
[ http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/476158a ], Michael Sendtner, DOI: 10.1038/476158a, Nature 476, 158â€"159, 2011/08/10