Kyoto Team Creates Cancer-Free iPS Cells

A new paper published today in Science describes advances from the Kyoto University iPS cell team, led by Shinya Yamanaka, facilitating production of pluipotent cells that are much less likely to form tumors than iPS cells created with previous methods.

The Daily Yomiuri reported from Tokyo that the latest cells are formed from mouse liver and stomach cells:

As iPS cells created from stomach or liver cells are less likely to develop cancer than those created from skin cells, the recent finding is expected to pave the way for the creation of safer iPS cells, using cells from various body parts.

Current iPS methods use viruses as vectors to carry genes into the original cells. The viruses can can cause cancer in the target cells, but if this latest work effectively circumvents the obstacle, then researchers are one step closer to developing practical treatments capitalizing on stem cells.

Comments on this article

By clicking and submitting a comment I acknowledge the Science Progress Privacy Policy and agree to the Science Progress Terms of Use. I understand that my comments are also being governed by Facebook's Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.