• Induced Pluripotent Stem (iPS) cells are reprogrammed adult skin cells that resemble embryonic stem cells, and may or may not have the same capabilities as embryonic stem cells.
• Human iPS cells were first created in November 2007 by Dr. James Thomson at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Dr. Shinya Yamanaka in Japan. Research must still be done to prove the plasticity (ability to differentiate into all the different types of cells) of the iPS cell is equivalent to the human embryonic stem cell.
• The current technique involves use of a virus that literally “infects” a cell with four genes—including cancer genes—to trigger the reprogramming process. This process has been refined further to minimize the use of cancer genes by using simple compounds.
• Potential advantages of iPS cells:
  • There may be no direct immune system rejection issues because these cells come from the patient; however, primary immune issues in autoimmune diseases would still have to be addressed.
  • These cells are relatively easy to create in a sophisticated laboratory setting.
• Potential disadvantages of iPS cells:
  • Economic costs of cells created for specific individuals would be high; iPS cell banks could be created, but that would re-introduce immune tolerance issues.
  • This process creates potential for undesirable bits of genetic material from the virus to also invade the target cell. Because of this viral material and the use of cancer genes, the technique would need to be refined before it could be applied to human treatment. An approach published online in Science, 9-25-08 by Konrad Hochedlinger, Harvard University, used adenoviruses (believed not to integrate genes into the cell’s DNA) in place of viruses, a less-efficient procedure but a potential solution to the safety issue. However, the use of any such viruses to carry genes into cells must be carefully controlled and cautiously used.

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