Nobel Prize in medicine 2012 for Yamanaka and Gurdon

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2012 was awarded jointly to Sir John B. Gurdon and Shinya Yamanaka "for the discovery that mature cells can be reprogrammed to become pluripotent"

The Nobel Prize recognizes two scientists who discovered that mature, specialised cells can be reprogrammed to become immature cells capable of developing into all tissues of the body. Their findings have revolutionised our understanding of how cells and organisms develop.

John B. Gurdon discovered in 1962 that the specialisation of cells is reversible. In a classic experiment, he replaced the immature cell nucleus in an egg cell of a frog with the nucleus from a mature intestinal cell. This modified egg cell developed into a normal tadpole. The DNA of the mature cell still had all the information needed to develop all cells in the frog.

Shinya Yamanaka discovered more than 40 years later, in 2006, how intact mature cells in mice could be reprogrammed to become immature stem cells. Surprisingly, by introducing only a few genes, he could reprogram mature cells to become pluripotent stem cells, i.e. immature cells that are able to develop into all types of cells in the body.

These groundbreaking discoveries have completely changed our view of the development and cellular specialisation. We now understand that the mature cell does not have to be confined forever to its specialised state. Textbooks have been rewritten and new research fields have been established. By reprogramming human cells, scientists have created new opportunities to study diseases and develop methods for diagnosis and therapy.

I think anyone who is remotely interested in stem cells will recognise the important contributions these two scientists have made to this field and it's about time they got some recognition for it! 

iPSC timeline *updated*

Hi guys! I thought I would repost a link of a timeline I made of all the main breakthroughs in reprogrammed stem cell research (iPSC - Induced pluripotent stem cells) in the last 10 years:

Reprogrammed stem cells are adult cells turned back into a stem-like state, restoring their lost potential. 

CLICK ON THE LINK TO VIEW THE TIMELINE IN FULL WITH THE DESCRIPTIONS: iPSC | View timeline

An eye into the future

A few months ago, I wrote a post about a recent trial that had been carried out using embryonic stem cells to treat diseases of the eye. The trial was carried out on two patients with different conditions: One with age-related macular degeneration - the leading cause of blindness in the developed world - and another patient in her 50s with Stargardt's disease.

This week we have learnt about an experimental treatment using skin cells to improve the vision of blind mice which may help those with macular degeneration. The fact that the trial involved induced pluripotent stem cells as opposed to embryonic stem cells could dispel concerns initially raised about the ethical implications. Another benefit is that patients would not need drugs to prevent rejection of the transplanted cells.

It's often said that induced pluripotent stem cells transplantation will be important in the practice of medicine in some distant future, but scientists are keen to suggest the future is almost here.

The study was published online in advance of print in the journal Molecular Medicine.