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Nature Biotechnology 26, 59–60 (1 January 2008) | doi:10.1038/nbt0108-59

Simpler and safer cell reprogramming

Martin F Pera & Kouichi Hasegawa

Induced pluripotent stem cells have been generated from mouse and human adult fibroblasts without the tumor-causing gene c-Myc. In a stunning experiment published in 2006, Shinya Yamanaka and his coworkers first reported that fibroblast cells from mouse fetal tissue could be reprogrammed to the pluripotent state through the beguilingly simple procedure of transducing them with a combination of a few key transcription factors. However, the original protocol involved random integration of multiple copies of the c-Myc oncogene into the target cell genome, a source of serious safety concern that seemed to preclude clinical application of the technique for the foreseeable future.