After Hongkui Deng first reported chemical reprogramming with mouse cells more than ten years ago, I thought that this approach might overtake genetic approaches for making iPS cells. That hasn’t happened. As much as using chemical cocktails allows for iPS cell production without genetic changes, transient genetic approaches can achieve the same kind of outcome.
Still, one might think that a simple cocktail of small molecules would be superior to transient genetic approaches. These small molecule approaches may need further optimization and could end up being better for in vivo reprogramming.
I continue to look for small molecule-based reprogramming papers. We have a new one this week.
Chemical reprogramming research
Here it is: Chemical reprogramming of human blood cells to pluripotent stem cells, Cell Stem Cell. This is more pioneering work from Hongkui Deng. His team also had a small molecule reprogramming paper earlier this year that sounds like a big improvement on the technology: A rapid chemical reprogramming system to generate human pluripotent stem cells, Nat Chem Bio.
More recommended reads
- Comparative single-cell lineage tracing identifies distinct adipocyte precursor dynamics in skin and inguinal fat, Cell Stem Cell. An intriguing paper from the Samantha Morris lab.
- In a Hotter World, Some People Age Faster, Researchers Find, NYT. It makes sense that heat could accelerate aging, but more data are actually supporting the idea. Will we see some longevity influencers start cooling themselves like in special chambers at night? Maybe some folks are already doing this?
- Haematopoietic stem cell number is not solely defined by niche availability, Nature.
Hope Biosciences lands an RMAT
Occasionally a press release will catch my eye. Here’s one: Hope Biosciences Secures FDA RMAT Designation for Stem Cell Therapy in Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis, PR. This one struck me for a few reasons. First, as a stem cell biologist I don’t get how adipose MSCs could help MS in a meaningful, lasting way. I guess some kind of immunosuppression? Do you have to get the MSCs many times a year to achieve this?
Second, Hope Biosciences leader Donna Chang was reportedly at RFK Jr.’s regenerative medicine roundtable earlier this year. Could Kennedy or Makary have taken an interest in the application for this RMAT?
I don’t see any published data from Hope’s clinical trial. Maybe it’s coming and then we can take a close look at the data after peer review.
To be clear, a different cell therapy approach, HSCT, has a more logical mechanism for some kinds of MS. There I can see a clear rationale and it is combined with partial chemo ablation.
Paul- you know that I’ve focused on the integrity of the pluripotent genome- using increasing sophisticated tools – for 20 years. I stand by our paper on reprogramming published in 2016. Reprogramming does not harm the genome- mutations arise and are selected for during iPS cell replication, not reprogramming. It’s epigenetic, So chemicals, proteins, or whatever comes up next are not “safer”. Safety comes from being careful not to stress the cells. We can only minimize the impact of mistakes by looking for them. Early and often.