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Nature 458, 715-716 (9 April 2009) | doi:10.1038/458715a; Published online 8 April 2009

Stem cells: Low-risk reprogramming

Martin F. Pera1

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New techniques circumvent a roadblock to the production of embryonicstem-cell-like lines from adult tissue. Such reprogrammed cell lines should be much safer to use for therapy.

Shinya Yamanaka's amazing discovery1 that cells from differentiated tissues can be reprogrammed into induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells — cells that can potentially differentiate into any cell type — has transformed research in stem-cell biology and regenerative medicine. The breakthrough provided both a deft approach to the production of patient-specific stem-cell lines with which to study disease, and a practical means of developing large banks of stem-cell lines suitable for tissue matching in transplantation therapy.

  1. Martin F. Pera is at the Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90089, USA.
    Email: martin.pera@keck.usc.edu

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