Patient-Specific Stem Cells

Scientists have taken a big step forward in developing healthy stem cells to replace diseased ones in the same patient. Using a cloning technique similar to the one that created Dolly (the sheep) – known as somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) – they replaced the nucleus of a single cell from a human embryo with one from an adult skin cell. In this case, the subject had Type 1 Diabetes, which destroys insulin-producing beta cells.

To slow down the division process and allow more time for the genes in the new nucleus to transform into embryonic cells, caffeine was added. Cell division was then induced by exposing the cell to electrical impulses and chemical catalysts. The resulting bundle of up to 200 cells contained embryonic stem cells capable of differentiating into insulin-producing beta cells to replace those that were lost. The method could eventually lead to cell replacement therapies for a variety of other degenerative diseases including Parkinson’s Disease, multiple sclerosis, and macular degeneration.

The new technique reduces recently identified risks associated with induced pluripotent stem (IPS) cells. IPS cells require the addition of four extra genes, which have been the basis for concerns regarding incomplete reprogramming and the potential to trigger cancer.