By Marissa Locke Rottinghaus – ASBMB Today –
Regenerative medicine is rewriting the future of health care, with stem cells leading the charge as researchers report that their experimental induced pluripotent stem cell, or iPSC, therapeutics could restore vision and cure Type 1 diabetes.
Unlike embryonic stem cells, iPSCs are reprogrammed from adult cells to a pluripotent state from which they can differentiate into myriad cell types such as neurons, cardiomyocytes, insulin-producing pancreatic cells and more. According to experts, iPSCs have the potential to repair or replace damaged tissues and treat a range of diseases considered incurable, including Parkinson’s, heart failure, spinal cord injuries and diabetes.
Constantinos Chronis, an assistant professor of biochemistry and molecular genetics at the University of Illinois Chicago, said iPSCs made from a patient’s own cells minimize the risk of immune rejection as well as other issues with traditional stem cell therapies.
