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Scientists used humanized mice to demonstrate the differential immunogenicity of cells derived from autologous induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs)

The discovery of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) has been considered as one of the groundbreaking findings in the history of life science research. This innovation has changed the direction of stem cell research around the world and may represent an ideal cell source for future regenerative therapies. But the fact that iPSCs are derived from an individual’s own body does not eliminate the possibility of immune rejection completely. A research group at UC San Diego previously reported that abnormal gene expression may elicit the immune system to reject certain cells derived from iPSCs.

Scientists reprogrammed human pancreatic cancer cells to quiescent acinar like cells

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) is a fatal malignancy and one of the most difficult human cancers to treat. Medical science has made great strides in the early diagnosis and treatment of many other type of cancers such as breast cancer, prostate cancer, and lung cancer. However, the prognosis of pancreatic cancer remains an elusive clinical challenge largely because of the difficulty of making an early diagnosis. Patients with pancreatic cancer typically develop very few symptoms in the early stage, which could easily mislead physicians. The lethal nature of this cancer makes it the fourth leading cause of cancer death in the United States, with a median survival of less than 6 months and a dismal 5-years survival rate of 3%–5%. So far, no curative treatments are available to treat advanced stages of this disease. Surgery offers only a minimal chance to cure pancreatic cancer; however, less than 20% of patients diagnosed with pancreatic cancer are considered for surgical resection. Chemoradiotherapy and radiation have shown some success in reducing tumor growth and prolonging patients' life spans, but the beneficial effects of these treatments are limited in long run.

iPSC technology helps scientists model liver-stage malaria in a dish

Malaria is a parasitic disease which kills millions of lives worldwide. The life cycle of the parasite revolves between a mosquito vector and a human host. Malaria is transmitted when Anopheles mosquitoes bite a human being and release hundreds of sporozoites into the bloodstream of the host. After entering into the bloodstream, parasites migrate to the liver, where they can either remain dormant or initiate an asexual multiplication cycle to produce thousands of merozoites. The newly formed merozoites attack red blood cells and further initiate the asexual replication cycle. Some of the merozoites differentiate into male and female gametocytes, which are the only parasite form that can be transmitted from humans to the mosquito vector.

Researchers produced a new class of pluripotent stem cells using cellular reprogramming

The remarkable discovery of induced pluripotent stem cell technology by Japanese researcher Shinya Yamanaka has revolutionized the field of stem cell biology. Yamanaka and his group showed that somatic cells can be reprogrammed by transferring their nuclear material into oocytes or by fusion with embryonic stem (ES) cells, indicating that unfertilized eggs and ES cells contain factors that can confer totipotency or pluripotency to somatic cells [1]. This cutting-edge finding has since advanced stem cell research. The creation of patient-specific disease cell lines can help scientists model a disease in a petri dish for the study and possible treatment of degenerative disorders with autologous cells.

Pluripotent stem cells offer a new prototype for Age Related Macular Degeneration modeling and therapies.