MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'induced pluripotent stem cells'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:53:46 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5051019&cid=t_187225_131_f&fid=34999&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.marymeetsdolly.com%2Fblog%2Findex.php%3F%2Farchives%2F1042-Biologys-new-supermodel-induced-pluripotent-stem-cells.html At least that is what The Scientist is calling them.  Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) are adult cells that have been reprogrammed back to a pluripotent state.  A pluripotent cell is simply a cell can become most or all of the 200 cell types of the body.  iPSCs behave like embryonic stem cells, which are naturally pluripotent, but iPSCs not require the destruction of an embryo. They are the perfect alternative to therapeutic cloning or somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT).  SCNT creates a cloned embryo that would be destroyed for the pluripotent stem cells inside.  Many scientists have called SCNT "the most promising" way to make pluripotent stem cells because it would create embryonic stem cells that are a genetic match to a patient.  The problem with SCNT is that to ... Mary Meets Dolly blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5051019 Thu, 21 Jul 2011 16:28:25 +0100 5051019 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4821058&cid=t_187225_131_f&fid=34999&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.marymeetsdolly.com%2Fblog%2Findex.php%3F%2Farchives%2F1020-Good-and-Bad-News-for-Induced-Pluripotent-Stem-Cells.html Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells) are adult cells that have been reprogrammed back to an embryonic-like (pluripotent) state without creating or destroying embryos.  Prolifers have been pointing to iPS cells since they were created as an alternative to destroying embryos for embryonic stem cells.  Unlike embryonic stem cells that come from an embryo that is genetically different, iPS cells would be better for transplant because they would already be a genetic match to the patient. iPS cells are also an alternative to cloning embryos for stem cells.  The only reason to clone an embryo to harvest stem cells would be to get embryonic stem cells that are a genetic match to the patient.  iPS technology achieves the same result as cloning without any eggs and without cloning and dest... Mary Meets Dolly blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4821058 Fri, 13 May 2011 21:25:11 +0100 4821058 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2778607&cid=t_187225_131_f&fid=34989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FGeneticsHealth%2F%7E3%2FQmimtbtYCaA%2F Take a look at this! Scientists have found a way to change our fat into the “miracle” cure-all that stem cells are purported to be. Using fat that were removed during liposuction, Stanford researchers found a method that reprograms these millions of fat cells into a state that is similar to embryonic stem cells! The fat cells are genetically reprogrammed back into “induced pluripotent stem cells” or iPSCs which have the potential to grow into any cell or tissue. Like embryonic stem cells, iPSCs can be used to replace damaged or destroyed organs, and treat a variety of diseases like Alzheimer’s diseases, spinal cord injury, stroke, burns, heart disease, diabetes, osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis. And fat cells-turned-stem-cells have none of the ethical controversie... Genetics and Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2778607 Tue, 08 Sep 2009 21:40:42 +0100 2778607 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2778615&cid=t_187225_131_f&fid=34999&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.marymeetsdolly.com%2Fblog%2Findex.php%3F%2Farchives%2F874-To-scientists-Have-lots-of-fat-for-making-stem-cells.-Call-Me%21.html Scientists have discovered that fat cells are easier to make into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells) than skin cells.  IPS cells are adult cells that have been programmed to act like embryonic stem cells by inducing pluripotency, or the ability to become most or all of the 200 cell types in the body.  From NatureNews:Fat cells and pigment-producing skin cells can be reprogrammed into stem cells much faster and more efficiently than the skin cells that are usually used — suggesting large bellies and little black moles could provide much-needed material for deriving patient-specific stem cells....The Stanford researchers used liposuction to extract a couple litres of fat from the bellies of four overweight individuals aged 40 to 65. They then treated the tissue to remove all the g... Mary Meets Dolly blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2778615 Tue, 08 Sep 2009 21:23:00 +0100 2778615 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2634585&cid=t_187225_131_f&fid=34999&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.marymeetsdolly.com%2Fblog%2Findex.php%3F%2Farchives%2F855-Are-induced-pluripotent-stem-cells-the-same-as-cloning.html I have once again come off of vacation to comment on an important and breaking development in induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS).  There is a lot of important distinctions to be made here so I hope you stay with me to the end. Chinese researchers have announced that they have created induced pluripotent stem cells and have used them to produce living mice.  From USA Today:The paper writes that two teams of Chinese researchers succeeded in "inducing cells from connective tissue in mice to revert back to their embryonic state and producing living mice from them."I had to scratch my head at this because of the nature of iPS cells.  Induced pluripotent stem cells are cells that are reprogrammed to an embryonic state by introducing genes into the cell or by growing them in a cert... Mary Meets Dolly blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2634585 Fri, 24 Jul 2009 02:54:02 +0100 2634585 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2571008&cid=t_187225_131_f&fid=34999&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.marymeetsdolly.com%2Fblog%2Findex.php%3F%2Farchives%2F848-Differences-Found-Between-Embryonic-Stem-Cells-And-Induced-Pluripotent-Cells.html Wow, that was a mouthful.  Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) are cells that have been "reprogrammed" back to pluripotency.  What is pluripotency?  Pluripotent stem cells can become most or all of the over 200 cell types of the human body.  Embryonic stem cells are pluripotent.  (Which makes sense because an embryo will eventually grow into a fetus, then an infant, then a toddler, then a pain-in-the-butt teenager, etc.  Did I say that out loud?)  It is this flexibility that researchers find valuable.  IPSCs are also pluripotent but unlike embryonic stem cells, a human embryo does not have to be destroyed to get iPSCs.  IPSCs are created by taking an adult cell and placing it is a special protein mixture, or introducing certain genes, and reprogramming it back to a mo... Mary Meets Dolly blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2571008 Fri, 03 Jul 2009 17:53:00 +0100 2571008 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2376511&cid=t_187225_131_f&fid=34999&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.marymeetsdolly.com%2Fblog%2Findex.php%3F%2Farchives%2F796-Protein-Power%21.html Researchers at Scripps Institute have created induced pluripotent stem cells using proteins instead of genetic material.  From the story:A new technique of making artificial stem cells has been made safer, according to a scientific team from the Scripps Research Institute and other academic centers.The cells, called Induced Pluripotent Stem cells, are made from fully differentiated adult cells, regressed back into an embryonic like state....The Scripps-led team found a way of producing these act-alike cells in a way that makes them more suitable for human therapy.......previous methods of making these act-alike embryonic stem cells have used dangerous methods of genetic modification, giving the cells a propensity to turn cancerous....The new research describes a way of chemically modifyin... Mary Meets Dolly blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2376511 Tue, 28 Apr 2009 03:13:07 +0100 2376511 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2364981&cid=t_187225_87_f&fid=34825&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wesleyjsmith.com%2Fblog%2F2009%2F04%2Flead-into-gold-protein-induced.html This is potentially huge: Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells, which permit tailor made, patient specific pluripotent stem cell lines to be created ethically without the use of embryos, can now be made without using genetic material. From the story, "Purely Protein Pluripotency," in The Scientist (no link):Researchers have attained the holy grail of cellular reprogramming: inducing pluripotency without using any DNA-based materials. Using only a cocktail of purified proteins and a chemical additive, investigators have generated induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells that don't carry the potential burden of unexpected genetic modifications, according to a new study published online today (Apr. 23) in Cell Stem Cell."This new advancement is both exciting and startling," Huck-Hui Ng, a stem cell res... Secondhand Smoke blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2364981 Thu, 23 Apr 2009 23:24:00 +0100 2364981 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2232746&cid=t_187225_131_f&fid=34999&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.marymeetsdolly.com%2Fblog%2Findex.php%3F%2Farchives%2F752-Pluripotent-stem-cells-without-cloning-or-viruses.html The "holy grail" of regenerative medicine would be stem cells that are pluripotent (able to become most or all of the 200 cell types in the body) that are also a genetic match to a patient.  This would mean that a patient could be treated with cells that are flexible enough to become whatever cell type is needed but also would not require that the patient take drugs to prevent rejection like with other transplants.  As of now, there are two ways that scientist are looking to achieve this.  Therapeutic cloning is the first.  Therapeutic cloning would create a cloned embryo that would be a "genetic match" to the patient and then that cloned embryo would be destroyed for the embryonic stem cells inside.   Unfortunately, this approach has all kinds of problems.  First... Mary Meets Dolly blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2232746 Wed, 04 Mar 2009 16:14:07 +0100 2232746 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2232377&cid=t_187225_87_f&fid=34825&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wesleyjsmith.com%2Fblog%2F2009%2F03%2Flead-into-gold-ips-cells-advances.html President Obama still hasn't rescinded the Bush stem cell policy. He will, but it may matter a lot less than people once thought. The IPSC advances continue, opening the door possibly for a way forward in biotechnology that all Americans can support. And, it is reported in the Washington Post! From the story:Scientists have developed what appears to be a safer way to create a promising alternative to embryonic stem cells, boosting hopes that such cells could sidestep the moral and political quagmire that has hindered the development of a new generation of cures.The researchers produced the cells by using strands of genetic material, instead of potentially dangerous genetically engineered viruses, to coax skin cells into a state that appears biologically identical to embryonic stem cells. "... Secondhand Smoke blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2232377 Mon, 02 Mar 2009 18:57:00 +0100 2232377 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1837253&cid=t_187225_131_f&fid=34999&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.marymeetsdolly.com%2Fblog%2Findex.php%3F%2Farchives%2F677-iPS-cells-breaking-new-ground.html Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS) are the new alternative to embryonic stem cells. They behave like embryonic stem cells, but they are created from adult cells, side-stepping the moral trespass of ripping open a human embryo.The problem with iPS cells was that to induce pluripotency (the flexibility to become many different types of cells) researchers had to use retroviruses that would insert transforming genes into genetic material of the cell. These retroviruses have been known to cause cancer. Last week scientists announced that they induced pluripotency with adenoviruses, which are considered to be harmless because they do not insert the transforming genes into the DNA of the adult cell. From the Washinton Post:Scientists last year shook up the scientific and political landscape by ... Mary Meets Dolly blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1837253 Mon, 29 Sep 2008 15:46:30 +0100 1837253 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1794432&cid=t_187225_131_f&fid=34999&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.marymeetsdolly.com%2Fblog%2Findex.php%3F%2Farchives%2F668-iPS-cell-lines-developed-for-disease-research-and-drug-discovery.html Embryonic stem cells are not even close to adult stem cells in trials and treatment for disease. But anytime that fact is brought into the open, ESC supporters say that ESC research is vital to understanding how a disease progresses and for use in drug discovery. The idea is to make or take embryos with certain diseases then rip them open, harvest the pluripotent stem cells inside and then use those stem cells for research into disease progression and new pharmacological treatments. I have read repeatedly that using human embryos in this way is not only important but necessary. Not so much. Researchers have created 10 pluripotent stem cell lines with diseases ranging from Parkinsons to diabetes. These lines did not come from embryos, but from patient cells that have been reprogramed or &qu... Mary Meets Dolly blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1794432 Mon, 15 Sep 2008 15:36:10 +0100 1794432 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1742775&cid=t_187225_131_f&fid=34999&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.marymeetsdolly.com%2Fblog%2Findex.php%3F%2Farchives%2F662-Insulin-without-the-stem-cells.html Stem cells are supposed to cure everything, if you buy into the media frenzy. First we were told that embryonic stem cells were the best. But because of Bush's very right but very unpopular stance on funding ESC and cloning research, scientists have been looking for alternatives. Induced pluripotent stem cells, or iPS, came from looking at alternatives to riping open existing embryos or cloning new ones to obtain pluripotent stem cells. iPS cells are adult stem cells that have been "reprogrammed" back to a pluripotent or "embryonic" state. Scientists at Harvard have used nuclear reprogramming technology to take normal pancreatic cells, not stem cells, and program them to produce insulin. From the LA Times:Harvard study may ultimately shift treatment options away from st... Mary Meets Dolly blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1742775 Fri, 29 Aug 2008 16:46:36 +0100 1742775 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1512192&cid=t_187225_131_f&fid=34999&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.marymeetsdolly.com%2Fblog%2Findex.php%3F%2Farchives%2F632-Info-on-iPSCs.html I think I am finally rested enough from working and trying to raise a family that I can approach my computer to blog. (I just had to clean the house top to bottom first!) A lot of people have been asking me about the ethics of induced pluripotent stem cells or iPSCs. These are cells that have been taken from an adult and reprogrammed into becoming more like an embryonic stem cell which are considered pluripotent. In case you forgot what pluripotent means, a pluripotent stem cell can become all of the tissue types in the body, EXCEPT placenta. (This is important as you will see later.) Do No Harm has a great Fact Sheet on iPSCs and how they compare to their more hyped embryonic brothers. It is a good read to keep you up to date.I think an important addition is the claim that inducing an ad... Mary Meets Dolly blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1512192 Thu, 12 Jun 2008 17:30:00 +0100 1512192 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1414885&cid=t_187225_87_f&fid=34825&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wesleyjsmith.com%2Fblog%2F2008%2F05%2Flead-into-gold-scientists-wax.html The power of the IPSCs is becoming so evident that, like Ian Wilmut before them, many scientists are joining the field. From a story in Nature Reports Stem Cells: The fact that making iPS cells does not pose the technical and ethical challenges of working with eggs or embryos is drawing large numbers of researchers into the field and speeding up reprogramming research. "This is definitely the hot thing right now," says Melina Fan, executive director of Addgene, the Cambridge, Massachusetts–based nonprofit repository that distributes both Thomson's and Yamanaka's viral vectors for the cell-reprogramming genes. As of 17 April, she says, there have been 704 requests from 178 labs at 142 institutions for Thomson's vectors; 514 requests from 131 labs at 113 institutions for Yamanaka's human i... Secondhand Smoke blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1414885 Fri, 02 May 2008 04:37:00 +0100 1414885