Researchers Transform Skin Cells Directly Into Blood Cells; Could Yield Effective Treatments for a Host of Diseases
Blood Cells From right to left, a red blood cell, a platelet and a white blood cell. Wikimedia Commons Canadian researchers have turned skin cells into blood cells, a breakthrough that could lead to new cancer therapies while avoiding the controversial use of stem cells. With the new technique, people who need blood for surgery, cancer treatment or other conditions could have a ready supply of their own blood, made from a patch of skin. Clinical trials could begin as soon as 2012, according to McMaster University in Ontario. During a two-year study, researchers took skin cells from adults and newborns to prove that it works with skin cells of any age. They added a gene called OCT4 and a group of proteins known as blood transcription factors. Depending on the protein mix, the skin cells became various blood cells, including red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets. Scientists have already...