Stem Cells From Human Blood Can Be Reprogrammed

 For Stem Cell Treatment:

According to the July 2 edition of Cell Stem Cell Blood, blood can be coaxed into producing stem cells that might be able to form any kind of body tissue. The new technique may make it possible for scientists to tap a large, easily available source of personalized stem cells. Withdrawing blood is safe, quick, and efficient compared to other harvesting methods
The findings are a major progression in the field, according to stem cell biologist Shinya Yamanaka. Three separate research groups used similar methods to coax certain immune cells found in human blood to turn into induced pluripotent stem cells. Because these are adult cells that have been reprogrammed, they share many of the same regenerative abilities as embryonic stem cells. However, they may not have the same degree of versatility in the types of mature cells they can turn into. Since induced pluripotent cells are harvested from adults, they don’t come up against the same ethical problems face by embryonic stem cells. As techniques for manipulating induced pluripotent cells gradually improve, they may become just as useful.
The new studies reprogrammed the cells by using viruses to deliver a cocktail composed of four genes, which changes the cells back to a primary state in which any developmental path is open. In theory, these induced pluripotent stem cells could form muscle cells in the leg, neurons in the brain, or beating heart cells.
Scientists were able to turn the stem cells produced in the new studies into a few different types of mature blood cells, including T cells, used by the body to fight infection.
More research is needed to determine whether these cells will retain any memory from their previous lives as blood cells. If they do, they may not be good at forming other tissue types.
Researchers are still far from transplanting these stem cells safely into people. The viruses used in the process may have unintended consequences. The long-term behavior of the cells is still unknown.