The STAP papers on making iPS like cells using acid treatment of differentiated cells really has people talking. See embryo at right made from GFP reporter STAP cells that glow green. As I said in my review of the papers yesterday, there are still some critical things we do not know about STAP cells and I […]
More thoughts from STAP acid reprogramming stem cell paper Read More »
I recently did a poll asking readers of my blog to vote on the iPS cell paper of the year for 2013. The vote kind of seesawed at the beginning, but in the end with 100 votes cast the paper by the Hannah lab on near-perfect iPS cell production won out (see votes at left).
Hannah near-perfect reprogramming voted as iPS cell paper of 2013 Read More »
When Jacob Hanna says “radically deterministic” cellular reprogramming, what does he mean? Jacob Hanna’s lab recently published a very high profile Nature paper on nearly 100% efficient iPS cell formation based on targeting a factor called Mbd3. This super efficiency is a major departure from past reported efficiencies. This morning here at the Till &
Jacob Hanna on Radically Deterministic Reprogramming @TMM2013 Read More »
A team at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel led by Jacob Hanna reports today near perfect reprogramming efficiency to make induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) by eliminating a single factor called Mbd3 from the cellular equation. On first glance, the Nature article (Rais, et al.) seems to be all about boosting cellular reprogramming efficiency to close
100% reprogramming efficiency reports Jacob Hanna Read More »
How important is the new development of all chemical reprogramming to make iPS cells? The group led by Hongkui Deng at Peking University in Beijing reported in Science that they used 7 chemicals to make what appear to be mouse iPS cells. I’m hearing a wide range of opinions directly from people in the know. What’s
What do you think of all chemical reprogramming? Take our poll Read More »
Back-to-back papers (here and here) in Nature Biotechnology report the transdifferentiation (now often simply referred to as “direct reprogramming”) of plain old fibroblasts into brain cells called oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs). OPCs are a remarkably useful kind of brain cell that generates myelin, which insulates nerves. OPCs are thought to have great therapeutic potential for
There’s a new paper out this week in Cell from the Zaret lab that is very exciting. In this manuscript, Facilitators and Impediments of the Pluripotency Reprogramming Factors’ Initial Engagement with the Genome, Zaret’s team explores how Myc and Oct4, Sox2, and Klf4 (OSK) behave at the genomic level during cellular reprogramming. What are the most
Review of the new Zaret Cell paper on Myc & OSK in cellular reprogramming Read More »
I love collaborative science. I believe it advances science faster. An example? My lab recently collaborated with another lab here at UC Davis of Dr. Oliver Fiehn, a metabolomics guru. Our paper on this just came out in PLOS ONE here. Admittedly, we got scooped by another lab that published the first ever metabolomics paper
New paper on iPS cell metabolomics: striking, yet incomplete metabolic reprogramming Read More »
Sheng Ding’s lab reports today in Cell Stem Cell (you can read it here) that they have replaced all genetic factors in a new iPS cell reprogramming method except Oct4. The other factors were replaced by chemical compounds. Thus, we continue a major transition in the iPS cell field away from genes and toward chemicals.
From genes to chemicals: iPS cell field, reprogramming in transition Read More »
What are the most significant stem cell and regenerative medicine good news stories of 2024? Since it has been an eventful year, there are many possibilities. Please see our poll at the bottom of this post and weigh in on what you think is the most important encouraging news. If you don’t see your choice
Poll on stem cell & regenerative medicine good news of 2024 Read More »