Induced pluripotent stem cell

Induced pluripotent stem cells (also known as iPS cells or iPSCs) are a type of <a href="/facts/Pluripotent/81323LbR">pluripotent</a> <a href="/facts/Stem_cell/qgB9dFrI">stem cell</a> that can be generated directly from a <a href="/facts/Somatic_cell/Emn7gk9A">somatic cell</a>. The iPSC technology was pioneered by <a href="/facts/Shinya_Yamanaka/oqMTMwsc">Shinya Yamanaka</a> and Kazutoshi Takahashi in <a href="/facts/Kyoto/gUWtvjfd">Kyoto</a>, <a href="/facts/Japan/U5mz0SRT">Japan</a>, who together showed in 2006 that the introduction of four specific genes (named <a href="/facts/Myc/7FGlAtFk">Myc</a>, <a href="/facts/Oct-4/Vee10vjH">Oct3/4</a>, <a href="/facts/Sox2/uKRxbGml">Sox2</a> and <a href="/facts/Klf4/v8bzjrWR">Klf4</a>), collectively known as Yamanaka factors, encoding <a href="/facts/Transcription_factor/wro0DPHe">transcription factors</a> could convert somatic cells into pluripotent stem cells. Shinya Yamanaka was awarded the 2012 Nobel Prize along with Sir <a href="/facts/John_Gurdon/ahY231IR">John Gurdon</a> "for the discovery that mature cells can be reprogrammed to become pluripotent."
Pluripotent stem cells hold promise in the field of <a href="/facts/Regenerative_medicine/RplB5P22">regenerative medicine</a>. Because they can propagate indefinitely, as well as give rise to every other cell type in the body (such as neurons, heart, pancreatic, and liver cells), they represent a single source of cells that could be used to replace those lost to damage or disease.
The most well-known type of pluripotent stem cell is the <a href="/facts/Embryonic_stem_cell/P1n1eS1p">embryonic stem cell</a>. However, since the generation of embryonic stem cells involves destruction (or at least manipulation) of the pre-implantation stage embryo, there has been much <a href="/facts/Stem_cell_controversy/YVa4gSeu">controversy</a> surrounding their use. Patient-matched embryonic stem cell lines can now be derived using <a href="/facts/Somatic_cell_nuclear_transfer/WhD31DdC">somatic cell nuclear transfer</a> (SCNT).
Since iPSCs can be derived directly from adult tissues, they not only bypass the need for embryos, but can be made in a patient-matched manner, which means that each individual could have their own pluripotent stem cell line. These unlimited supplies of <a href="/facts/Autologous/Hv2U9gaG">autologous</a> cells could be used to generate transplants without the risk of immune rejection. While the iPSC technology has not yet advanced to a stage where therapeutic transplants have been deemed safe, iPSCs are readily being used in personalized drug discovery efforts and understanding the patient-specific basis of disease.
Yamanaka named iPSCs with a lower case "i" due to the popularity of the <a href="/facts/IPod/Uagdn1F6">iPod</a> and other products.
In his Nobel seminar, Yamanaka cited the earlier seminal work of <a href="/facts/Harold_Weintraub/UVcA8S5I">Harold Weintraub</a> on the role of <a href="/facts/MyoD/p6j6fgSu">myoblast determination protein 1</a> (MyoD) in reprogramming cell fate to a muscle lineage as an important precursor to the discovery of iPSCs.

Induced pluripotent stem cell open-in-new

Induced pluripotent stem cell