International Stem Cell, a biotech company focused on the development and commercialization of stem cell-based research and cosmetic products, recently reported a significant advancement in human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS) derivation with novel protein-based reprogramming method.
iPS cells are made by genetically reprogramming mature cells, which are usually taken from the skin, and can be used to create new cells of a different type. Original reprogramming methods utilize viruses to modify the cells genes and risk the inclusion of genetic material from the virus into the cells. These viral methods have proven extremely inefficient and can only produce limited quantities of cells.
ISCO’s biologists, however, have developed a fundamentally new method capable of enhancing the efficiency of the reprogramming process by using specific proteins called transducible transcription factors (TTF), while avoiding the use virus-based methods and the inherent risks associated with such methods.
The company’s new method demonstrates that its TTF-iPS technology has the ability to produce stable stem cells and is at least 10 times more efficient that older methods. In addition, the TTFs are naturally eliminated when no longer required, a characteristic that further improves safety.
“This new method offers a much needed safer and more efficient alternative to older techniques and represents a major step forward in being able to use iPS clinically,” Dr. Ruslan Semechkin, chief scientific officer for ISCO, stated in the news release. “We are currently working toward shortening the cell reprogramming step from around six weeks to as little as one week.”
For more information, visit www.internationalstemcell.com
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