JAPAN: Japanese scientist makes breakthrough in stem cell research

In what some scientists call a major breakthrough in stem cell research, a Japanese university research team has succeeded in transforming ordinary human skin cells into batches of cells that look and act like embryonic stem cells -- but without using controversial cloning technology or embryos. The method discovered by the Kyoto University bio-tech team led by Professor Shinya Yamanaka will enable the long-sought goal of tailor-made medicine, especially for those suffering from spinal cord injuries or diabetes, without the political and ethical roadblock of using human eggs or embryos. Yamanaka's team uses a cocktail of four different human genes. When those genes are added to a skin cell, the skin cell transforms into a multi-purpose cell in about a month that can then turn into any cell needed in a human body. The team got the cells to develop into heart cells, which then beat in unison. "What's significant about this technology is that not only can we avoid the ethical controversy of using embryos, but also a transplant patient can avoid getting the organ rejected reaction because the treatment will be done by using the patient's own cells, and not somebody else's," Yamanaka, a professor at Kyoto University's Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences, told Reuters. Yamanaka says, however, that it will take a few years until the technique can be used to treat people because its safety has not yet been confirmed. While the technology could potentially be a panacea, it could be dangerous, if abused, Yamanaka warns. "Since the method we have developed doesn't require embryos, it could technically allow anybody with a slight knowledge of chemistry to transform skin cells and even -- possibly down the road -- produce a human being from skin cells. That's why I believe a strict set of rules will have to be in place as to the use of this technology," Yamanaka said. Separately, a group of scientists at the University of Wisconsin has been working to develop the same technology. Earlier this week, Yamanaka's team reported their finding in the science journal Cell, while the University of Wisconsin team reported theirs in the journal Science. The new cells are called induced pluripotent stem cells and look and act much like embryonic stem cells -- the master cells that give rise to every cell and tissue in the body. Both teams used just four genes to transform ordinary skin cells called fibroblasts into induced pluripotent stem cells -- iPS cells for short. Both teams said the new cells are not ready to use in people yet because they used a type of virus called a retrovirus to carry the new genes into the skin cells. It is not clear whether this virus might cause genetic mutations that could cause cancer or other side effects.

ITN Source | November 26, 2007

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