Scientists Create Brain Cells From Skin Cells

Scientists at Stanford University's medical school have been able to turn skin cells from mice into fully functioning neurons. Previously, this process would require restoring the adult cells to their pleuripotent state using a mixture of genes and proteins before nurturing them into the desired cell type. However, the Stanford team was able to complete the conversion process in a single step by reprogramming three specific genes. The entire procedure took under a week and the completely functioning neurons were implanted back into the mice, this time as part of their brains. Though the conversion was only 20% successful, these results are still 10 times more efficient than current techniques that involve pleuripotent cells.

This groundbreaking procedure is important because one day, scientists will be able to apply this technology to human cells. The newly formed brain cells could be used to cure patients by replacing tissue that has been lost or damaged by trauma or diseases such as Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s. This process may also be able to convert cells to other tissue types such as heart or lung tissue.

Another advantage of using this technology would be that the implanted tissue is entirely biocompatible with the patient since the original skin cells could be harvested from his or her own body. The process also avoids any of the bioethical concerns of conventional stem cell methods since the harvested cells would not come from embryonic tissue.

The image shows the mouse neurons which have been generated from fibroblasts.

http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/1815152/scientists_create_brain_cells_from_skin_cells/index.html

Kate Lowe; Section 502