Two studies prove value of iPS cells
One of the biggest questions confronting the field of stem cell science is whether iPS cells — stem cells created by reprogramming adult cells — are the equal of the field’s gold standard, human embryonic stem cells (hESCs). Now, a team of Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI) researchers, in collaboration with scientists at Columbia University Medical Center, have demonstrated that many iPS cells are, in fact, the equal of hESCs in creating human motor neurons, the cells destroyed in a number of neurological diseases, including Parkinson’s. Another HSCI group, working with the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, has produced a simple, quick method for testing the equivalency of iPS cell lines with human embryonic stem cells. The latter group, led by Professor Alex Meissner of HSCI, Harvard’s Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology (SCRB), and the Broad, conducted a genomic analysis of 20 commonly used hES cell lines — 17...