Brain Cells From Skin Cells – Stanford researchers have successfully turned mouse skin cells into fully functioning brain cells.
In what’s being heralded as “a huge leap forward,” the new technique for creating brain cells from skin cells is an astonishing medical breakthrough.
The process, which took less than a week, upends thinking on how cells develop specialized roles, and could help minimize the controversial role of embryonic stem cells in treatments for diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.
“These are fully functional neurons,” researcher Marius Wernig told reporters. “They can do all the principal things that neurons in the brain do.”
If the process can be duplicated with human cells, brain cells derived from a skin graft would be genetically identical to patient’s, removing the risk of immune rejection.
And that would make them ideal for treating neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s.
And that’s the latest news on the medical breakthrough of creating Brain Cells From Skin Cells.
Tags: Alzheimer's, Brain Cells From Skin Cells, health, medicine, stem cell research, stem cells