Cells Change Identity In Promising Breakthrough

[DeSwiss]

Source: Associated Press

Cells Change Identity In Promising Breakthrough

By MALCOLM RITTER, AP Science Writer
12 minutes ago

NEW YORK - Talk about an extreme makeover: Scientists have transformed one type of cell into another in living mice, a big step toward the goal of growing replacement tissues to treat a variety of diseases. The cell identity switch turned ordinary pancreas cells into the rarer type that churns out insulin, essential for preventing diabetes. But its implications go beyond diabetes to a host of possibilities, scientists said.

It's the second advance in about a year that suggests that someday doctors might be able to use a patient's own cells to treat disease or injury without turning to stem cells taken from embryos. The work is "a major leap" in reprogramming cells from one kind to another, said one expert not involved in the research, John Gearhart of the University of Pennsylvania.

That's because the feat was performed in living mice rather than a lab dish, the process was efficient and it was achieved directly without going through a middleman like embryonic stem cells, he said.

The newly created cells made insulin in diabetic mice, though they were not cured. But if the experiment's approach proves viable, it might lead to treatments like growing new heart cells after a heart attack or nerve cells to treat disorders like ALS, formerly Lou Gehrig's disease.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080827/ap_on_he_me/med_cell_identity_switch

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- Absolutely fantastic! This will be so wonderful for so many people who suffer from deadly diseases.

But when they figure out how to turn my fat cells into muscle cells, I'm all set....
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DeSwiss


http://www.atheisttoolbox.com/">The Atheist Toolbox

[BlooInBloo]

1. A good step on the road to something useful.

[GreenPartyVoter]

2. Sweet!

[Xipe Totec]

4. Punny choice of words!

:rofl:

[GreenPartyVoter]

7. D'oh, I wasn't even thinking of that :^P

[sellitman]

3. This is great news for Republicans.

We might be able to grow them brains someday!

[mckara]

5. I Need a New Spinal Cord

I hope this breakthrough helps people like me!

[No Elephants]

6. I hope so, too, mckara. Blessings.

[mckara]

11. Thanks!

[GreenPartyVoter]

8. I fervently hope so! There is _so_ much potential for this line of

medical treatment to help so many different types of health problems and injuries. Here's hoping that all of those the breakthroughs are right around the corner. :hug:

[mckara]

12. Yes, It's a Matter of Time. Thank You

[kirby]

9. So does Pelosi... n/t

[Politicalboi]

10. This is great news

But will the Pharmaceutical companies buy them out so you still have to buy their crap. This is like the medical Marijuana sorta. They know it helps people and it has many more benefits but the Pharma's don't want us to have them. They have a lot to lose and so do hospitals if they actually cure diseases.

[not fooled]

13. Interesting, but...

...is all of this just to placate religious kooks who oppose stem cell research? I hope there are advantages unique to this line of research. Would hate to think that the work is just some sort of end-around to avoid raising the ire of those who believe nonsense about utilizing embryos. Also, I wonder whether the procedures needed to trigger cell transformations of this type might result in chromosomal damage or other abnormalities that would be avoided by working with stem cells.

Just hate to see science and medical technology beholden to superstition.