The Raelian Movement
for those who are not afraid of the future : http://www.rael.org
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New Method for Generating Human Stem Cells Is Remarkably Efficient
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/09/100930142711.htm
ScienceDaily (Sep. 30, 2010) — The ability to efficiently generate
patient-specific stem cells from differentiated cells and then
reliably direct them to form specialized cells (like neurons or
muscle) has tremendous therapeutic potential for replacing diseased or
damaged tissues. However, despite some successes, there have been
significant limitations associated with existing methods used to
generate human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs).
Now, a study published by Cell Press on September 30th in the journal
Cell Stem Cell presents a novel strategy for creating iPSCs that
exhibits some significant advantages when compared with current iPSC
technologies. The new method does not require risky genetic
modification and holds great promise for making the reprogramming
process more therapeutically relevant.
"Clinical application of iPSCs is currently hampered by low efficiency
of iPSC generation and protocols that permanently alter the genome to
effect cellular reprogramming," explains senior study author, Dr.
Derrick J. Rossi from Harvard Medical School. "Perhaps even more
importantly, safe and effective means of directing the fate of
patient-specific iPS cells towards clinically useful cell types are
lacking."
In the current study, Dr. Rossi and colleagues did not take the
standard approach to permanently alter the genome to achieve
expression of protein factors known to reprogram adult cells into
iPSCs. Instead, they developed synthetic modified messenger RNA
molecules (which they termed "modified RNAs") that encoded the
appropriate proteins but did not integrate into the cell's DNA.
Repeated administration of the modified RNAs resulted in robust
expression of the reprogramming proteins in mature skin cells that
were then converted to iPSCs with startling efficiency. "We weren't
really expecting the modified RNAs to work so effectively, but the
reprogramming efficiencies we observed with our approach were very
high," says Dr. Rossi.
Importantly, the modified RNA method was also used to successfully to
control the fate of the iPSCs. "Creation of iPSCs is the critical
first step towards patient-specific therapies, but to truly realize
the promise of iPS cell technology for regenerative medicine or
disease modeling, we must harness the potential of iPS cells to
generate clinically useful cell types," notes Dr. Rossi. RNA-induced
iPSCs with an RNA associated with muscle cell development caused the
cells to differentiate into muscle cells -- again simply, efficiently
and without the immediate risk of inducing genetic mutations.
These findings demonstrate that the novel RNA-induced iPSC technology
offers significant advantages over existing methodologies. "Our
technology represents a safe, efficient strategy for somatic cell
reprogramming and directing cell fate that has wide ranging
applicability for basic research, disease modeling and regenerative
medicine," concludes Dr. Rossi. "We believe that our approach has the
potential to become a major and perhaps even central enabling
technology for cell-based therapies."
Story Source:
The above story is reprinted (with editorial adaptations by
ScienceDaily staff) from materials provided by Cell Press, via
EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.
Journal Reference:
1. Luigi Warren, Philip D. Manos, Tim Ahfeldt, Yuin-Han Loh, Hu Li,
Frank Lau, Wataru Ebina, Pankaj K. Mandal, Zachary D. Smith, Alexander
Meissner, George Q. Daley, Andrew S. Brack, James J. Collins, Chad
Cowan, Thorsten M. Schlaeger, and Derrick J. Rossi. Highly Efficient
Reprogramming to Pluripotency and Directed Differentiation of Human
Cells with Synthetic Modified mRNA. Cell Stem Cell, 2010 DOI:
10.1016/j.stem.2010.08.012
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"Ethics" is simply a last-gasp attempt by deist conservatives and
orthodox dogmatics to keep humanity in ignorance and obscurantism,
through the well tried fermentation of fear, the fear of science and
new technologies.
There is nothing glorious about what our ancestors call history,
it is simply a succession of mistakes, intolerances and violations.
On the contrary, let us embrace Science and the new technologies
unfettered, for it is these which will liberate mankind from the
myth of god, and free us from our age old fears, from disease,
death and the sweat of labour.
Rael
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