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The gold rush for induced pluripotent stem cells

Nature Biotechnology volume 27, pages 977–979 (2009)Cite this article

As the first commercial ventures are formed around induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell research, who will have the freedom to operate commercially remains a big unknown. Sarah Webb reports.

iPS cells offer a pathway to pluripotency unhindered by the ethical and practical obstacles associated with research using human embryos and human eggs. “Many of the pharmaceutical companies were really concerned about using ES [embryonic stem] cells,” says Mahendra Rao, vice president of research in stem cells and regenerative medicine at Invitrogen, part of Life Technologies, in Carlsbad, California. “Now that they have an alternate to getting pluripotent cells it becomes an easier choice for them to begin work with iPS [cells].”

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    Sarah Webb

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Webb, S. The gold rush for induced pluripotent stem cells. Nat Biotechnol 27, 977–979 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/nbt1109-977

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