Canadians make stem-cell breakthrough

By GLOBE &AMP; MAIL
Added: Sun, 01 Mar 2009 00:00:00 UTC

Thanks to phantasm for the link.

TORONTO — Canadian researchers have discovered a new way to turn skin cells into stem cells with fewer potential risks to patients.

Their work removes major barriers to using stem cells, which have an endless capacity for self-renewal, in new medical therapies for people with spinal cord injuries or diseases such as diabetes or Parkinson's.

âWe hope these stem cells will form the basis for treatment of many diseases and conditions that are currently considered incurable,â says Andras Nagy, of Toronto's Mount Sinai Hospital. He is the lead author of a groundbreaking paper published online Sunday by the journal Nature.

Dr. Nagy and his colleagues are the first to reprogram human skin cells to an embryonic state without using a virus, collaborating on the new technique with Keisuke Kaji from the Medical Research Council Centre for Regenerative Medicine at the University of Edinburgh.

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TAGGED: BIOLOGY, MEDICINE

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