First success of skin stem cell medicine for Us scientists

U.Sscientists said Saturday they have successfully treated sickle cell emis in mice using gene reprogramming techniques to transform skin cells into stem cellsThis is the first time scientists have demonstrated that skin stem cells have embryonic stem cell function and can be used to treatof hereditary deadlydiseases" 4
Magic Factors"the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research in Cambridge, Massachusetts, usa, and the study was published in the 7th issue of the journal ScienceThe researchers first extracted cells from the tails of mice with sickle cell emisisSickle cellemia is caused by genetic abnormalities, usually round edill, soft red blood cells become stiff
like a sickle,can not transport oxygen normallyThe condition can lead to kidney failure and stroke,can be fatalThe researchers then implanted four geneinto the sampled cells,rearranging the cell genesturned into skin stem cells with embryonic stem cell functionThis "universal cell" can differentiate into more than 200 different cellsBy further inducing differentiationin the lab,researchers cultured these skin stem cells into blood cells to compensate for the genetic defects that cause sickle cellemia and inject them into the sick mouseThe results showed that the blood and kidney function of the mice began to return to normal"We call those four genes four magic factors, " said Jacob Hanna, a member of the study group"
replace embryonic stem cells?"Two independent research groups in the United States and Japan announced last month that they were using gene reprogramming technology to transform human skin cells into skin stem cells, which could function comparable to embryonic stem cellsBecause embryonic stem cell research faces ethical, legal controversy, scientists hope that skin stem cells can become a substitute for embryonic stem cells Scientists are not entirely sure whether these genetically re-arranged skin stem cells differ significantly from embryonic stem cells in clinical applications This successful treatment of sickle cell emisis in mice has proved for the first time that skin stem cells are basically capable of treating related conditions Tim Towns, a member of the team at the University of Alabama, said: "This experiment is the first to complete all the processes and cure disease "
researchers said in a statement: "Experiments have shown that skin stem cells have the same medical potential as embryonic stem cells and do not raise ethical issues." Despite , many scientists, including Hanna, believe that embryonic stem cell research should continue There is still a gap with perfection
although the success of this experiment is significant, but there are still many problems with skin stem cell technology Researchers say it could be years before the technology can be safely applied to humans When four genes are implanted when skin cells are turned into skin stem cells, scientists use viruses as "porters" to transport genes One of these "retroviruses" may have adverse effects on the human body "When the virus enters the genome, it may turn off genes that are vital to the human body, or activate some dangerous genes," Hanna said Another challenge for scientists is that the four genes implanted include a gene called "c-Myc" that can cause cancer In response, the researchers removed the gene after completing the task of converting skin cells into skin stem cells But Hanna said: "It's far from solving the problem." Conrad Hochedlinger, a researcher at Massachusetts General Hospital points to a more difficult problem: Scientists still know little about dividing stem cells into the specific cells they want to get For example, how to turn stem cells into pancreatic cells instead of nerve cells? (
Zhang Wei)