Since the discovery of induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology 18 years ago, significant progress has been made in stem cell biology and regenerative medicine. New pathological mechanisms have been identified, new drugs identified by iPSC screens are in the pipeline, and the first clinical trials employing human iPSC-derived cell types have been initiated. [Read more…]

Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells or iPSCs) are laboratory-made pluripotent stem cells that are produced using adult cells. They are derived from somatic cells by reprogramming artificially and turning on the expression of specific pluripotency genes. The reprogramming is achieved using different techniques with varying efficiencies. The iPSC technology was first discovered in 2006 by Shinya Yamanaka’s lab in Kyoto, Japan. He and his team introduced four specific genes encoding transcription factors and converted adult cells into pluripotent stem cells. [Read more…]