Perhaps so, according to this piece from Reuters. iPSCs are induced pluripotent stem cells, which are made from adult cells yet behave like embryonic stem cells. iPSCs do not require the destruction of embryos and, since they are the patient’s own cells, are not likely to be rejected.
Ordinary cells reprogrammed to act like embryonic stem cells can help repair damaged heart tissue in mice, researchers reported on Monday in a study that shows a potential practical use for the experimental cells.When injected into mice whose hearts had been damaged by a heart attack, the new cells helped improve both the structure and function of the heart. Eventually the hope would be to patch up seriously ill heart patients using their own cells.
“It was obvious to the observer which animals had been treated and which ones hadn’t,” said Dr Timothy Nelson of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, whose study appears in the journal Circulation.
The team used a promising new type of embryonic-like stem cell called an induced pluripotent stem cell, or iPS cell, made from ordinary cells. Many teams are using this new technology to look for ways to repair the body, a fast-growing field of research known as regenerative medicine.
Nelson and colleagues tested the technology as a way to regenerate heart muscle damaged by a heart attack.
HT: Wesley J. Smith at Secondhand Smoke.
