Researchers Transform Skin Cells Into Working Neurons for the First Time
From Skin Cells, Neurons Patrick Hoesly via Flickr In a critical first step toward treating nervous system disorders and other degenerative conditions, researchers at Stanford have for the first time transformed human skin cells into functioning neurons. This isn't stem cell technology--using tissue derived from aborted fetuses and the foreskins of newborns, the researchers were able to create working nerve cells that went on to form synapses with other nerve cells. This doesn't mark the first time skin cells have been transformed into other kinds of tissue--in fact, they've proven to be particularly good candidates for this kind of science in the past, having been turned into blood cells, liver cells, and heart cells previously. But the breakthrough is significant because skin cells are so plentiful, and the ability to turn them into neurons could create a deep well of tissue for regenerative therapies. The method relies on a process called transdifferentiation,...