Research news: "Huge step forward" in stem cells

The News:
"Huge step forward" in stem cells
Adult cells regress safely, report says
By Rob SteinThe Washington Post
Article Last Updated: 09/26/2008 12:20:39 AM MDT
WASHINGTON — Scientists are reporting that they have overcome a major obstacle to using a promising alternative to embryonic stem cells, bolstering the prospects for bypassing the political and ethical tempest that has embroiled hopes for a new generation of medical treatments.
The researchers said they found a safe way to coax adult cells to regress into an embryonic state, alleviating what had been the most worrisome uncertainty about developing the cells into potential cures.
"We have removed a major roadblock for translating this into a clinical setting," said Konrad Hochedlinger, a Harvard University stem-cell researcher whose research was published online Thursday by the journal Science.
The development is the latest in the rapidly advancing and politically charged field of stem-cell research.
"This is a huge step forward — it could be the breakthrough we've been looking for," said Robert Lanza, a stem-cell researcher at Advanced Cell Technology in Worcester, Mass.
Embryonic stem cells are believed capable of becoming any type of cell in the body. Researchers hope eventually to use them to create replacement tissue and body parts tailored to individual patients. But the work has been mired in controversy because the cells were obtained by destroying very early embryos. As a result, President Bush has restricted federal funding for such work.
Scientists last year shook up the scientific and political landscape by discovering how to manipulate the genes of adult cells to revert them into the equivalent of embryonic cells — entities dubbed "induced pluripotent stem" or "iPS" cells — which could then be transformed into any type of cell in the body. Subsequent work has found that the cells can alleviate symptoms of Parkinson's disease and sickle cell anemia in mice. Read on...

The Research:
Read the research behind this story in the journal Science (click on full text (pdf) in left column under "Article Views")