Stem Cell Study could aid in Combating Diseases

A new research has been done by the scientists to understand how cells from skin tissue can be reprogrammed to become stem cells. This study may provide aid in fighting with a range of diseases. The new research could help in generating these stem cells efficiently for better understanding and developing new treatments options for diseases, such as multiple sclerosis, Parkinson`s disease and muscular degeneration.

This study is called induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and it was led by the University of Edinburgh. Researchers made the discovery by tracking the change of skin cells during the reprogramming process. According to them, this study will enable them to streamline the stem cell production process. Scientists have been able to create stem cells in this way since 2006 but, until now, it has not been clear how adult cells `forget` their specialized roles to be reprogrammed by scientists.

Experts state that existing methods of iPSCs production are time consuming and costly as the complete process takes around four weeks to make human stem cells and even then the process does not always work. This finding may also give a solution on how to create different cell types like muscle or brain cells that can be used to improve our understanding of diseases and treatment.


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