BioCentury
ARTICLE | Tools & Techniques

Bypassing the iPS logjam

February 18, 2010 8:00 AM UTC

Researchers atthe Stanford University School of Medicinehave found a way to efficiently convert mouse fibroblasts into functional neurons without first reverting the skin cells to a pluripotent state.1 The protocol could make it possible to use host-derived fibroblasts to create neurons for disease modeling, drug screening and transplantation studies.

The conventional approach to turning fibroblasts into a different cell type involves reprogramming the skin cells into induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells using a quartet of transcription factors (Oct4, Sox2, Klf4 and c-Myc).2,3 TheiPS cells are then isolated, expanded and differentiated into a new cell type. However, the efficiency of the process is low and the procedure can take months...