Researchers Hack Blood cells into Stem Cells | Hacker News Reader

Researchers Hack Blood cells into Stem Cells

medicalxpress.com

Link to article? (I think it's the right one)

http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjourna...

These T-cell derived iPSCs (“TiPS”) retain a normal karyotype and genetic identity to the donor. They share common characteristics with human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) with respect to morphology, pluripotency-associated marker expression and capacity to generate neurons, cardiomyocytes, and hematopoietic progenitor cells. Additionally, they retain their characteristic T-cell receptor (TCR) gene rearrangements, a property which could be exploited for iPSC clone tracking and T-cell development studies.

I think this is the article referred to in the article:

http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjourna...

And here is the other article, referred to as "Chapter One", where the researchers differentiate the induced blood stem cells into heart cells:

http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjourna...

Yes, this is really cool. But it is an improvement on earlier techniques: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Induced_pluripotent_stem_cell

The study of cellular differentiation (and un-differentiation, as may be the case in cancer) is really taking off. I recommend the book "Epigenetic Revolution" by Nessa Carey to the laymen. It is the most accessible intro into the research that I know of.

There are new techniques involved here.

Generally, out of hundreds of blood cells, only one or two might turn into iPS cells. Using Zambidis' method, 50 to 60 percent of blood cells were engineered into iPS cells.

Traditionally, scientists use viruses to deliver a package of genes to cells to turn on processes that convert the cells from one type (such as skin or blood) back to stem cell states. Zambidis' team uses plasmids, rings of DNA that replicate briefly inside cells and then degrade.

Sure, Zambidis' group used electroporation to deliver the genes that convert adult cells back to a stem cell. But it appears that is the only new thing that they did. The 4 genes that they delivered to revert the adult cells back to stem cells were discovered back in 2006 by Yamanaka's group. It is the 4 genes that do all the magic, and identifying those genes was the really amazing step forward in the field.

Electroporation, which it looks like what Zambidis et al used, is not without problems too.

So is anything not "hacking" anymore? Or can we just use that verb for anything?

If so then I'm hacking pretty hard in this comment section right now.

By 2050 the set of all verbs will be pared down to just "hacking" and "trolling".

Reply on news.ycombinator.com