13 Years of iPSC Therapies in Clinical Trials
Thirteen years have passed since Kyoto University’s Shinya Yamanaka demonstrated how altering four genes could turn adult cells into “induced pluripotent stem cells.” And, ever since that announcement, clinicians have sought ways to apply that knowledge to diseases like Parkinson’s, macular degeneration, heart disease and muscular dystrophy. Progress has been slow because iPSCs have to be conditioned to perform as they would if natural—e.g. heart cells trained to beat, muscle cells taught to stretch and contract). This piece reviews the problems and progress, but it also mentions two interesting details: Fujifilm has a Cellular Dynamics company in Madison, WI for growing human cells, and 70% of the Japanese population is immunocompatible for iPSCs from Japanese donors. MORE
Image Credit: The Scientist