Getting from hair cells can be obtained earlier in myocardial transform pluripotent new goal of the scientific community. Cellular Reprogramming is a technique that allows to create any type of tissue from one cell to another, is to re-educate the cells to respond as the scientists wanted. A step towards achieving create organs and tissues that will eventually be suitable for transplantation in humans.
In many laboratories are trying to discover the factors that lead to the specification process in vitro in all different cell types, and you begin to see its fruits. Specifically, the research group of John Carlos Izpisua the Salk Institute in California and the Center for Regenerative Medicine in Barcelona, are investigating two tissues in particular: heart and hematopoietic system. “We started with a hair cell reprogramming did and then add a number of factors are involved in the generation of cardiomyocytes, that hair after educating became a cardiomyocyte “Explained the scientist who stressed that”although the efficiency was initially relatively low, only 1 or 2% of the cells of the plate turned into cardiomyocytes, with the passage of time to get across the plate throb”.
Cell transdifferentiation:
The current goal of scientists, according to Dr. Izpisua said, is to transform a cell into a cell without further processing before b in a pluripotent cell. This way, you avoid the process of re-educating the cell, although there is progress, is still relatively slow. A more direct process is called transdifferentiation.
Not only is the problem of the slow process of implementing the components to the unipotent cell to be transformed into pluripotent and you need to take into account the safety of patients at the time of transplantation because, until now, the implementation of these pluripotent cells in mice have generated cancer, and in the case of transdifferentiation does not.
First, do not generate corneal-keratoses-tumor, if scientists are sequencing of these cells transdifferentiated no mutations found in pluripotent cells. Mutational load cells that are virtually zero and not cause tumors, this is an advantage with respect to pluripotent, especially with regard to their safety.
Virus substitutes Chemicals
Another drawback to move in the future these techniques into clinical practice is the way in which they put these genes into cells through virus, which is not always appropriate. “So we thought of replacing this gene by chemicals such as the molecule that was discovered two years ago and can replace one of the genes involved in transdifferentiation, Sox2″Said the researcher Albacete, who has done this experiment, which found that although the frequency was lower, positive cells can be obtained using this chemical compound (SB431542) replacing the Sox2 activity which prevents the use of viruses.
When different cell types used for this experiment could prove that not all cells behave alike. That is, if started from mesenchymal cells of adipose tissue or mesenchymal cells of the nose, the result was very different. For example, fibroblasts, the laboratories have been unable to replicate this technology. Whereupon “We think the ideal would be a source of cells that were allogeneic and autologous not that could have a similar transdifferentiation efficiency of the options listed above, “Said Juan Carlos Izpisúa, who stressed that”this is the case of umbilical cord cells”.
Cord cells, the more ‘malleable’:
A couple of years it was found that these cells do not need all the factors to be reprogrammed, that somehow it was easier to reprogram umbilical cord cells than any other cell type in humans, and only using two of these four factors, or even one, researchers have been able to reprogram cells umbilical cord pluripotent and therefore focused on cord cells to this process of transdifferentiation.
After using a specific combination of genes, cells make initial structures that have some relation to cell neural. These progenitors of neurons can be converted into mature neurons are functional in vitro and in vivo. They have a normal electrical activity, when transplanted cells are taken from the umbilical cord and placed in the brain of a mouse, integrated, and are actually functional. This indicates that it can transform, without passing through the state of pluripotency, umbilical cord stem cells into neurons that are fully functional. “Neurons that do not generate tumors that do not have mutations”Described the scientist.
Therefore, the use of cord cells is really an exceptional value as a material for use in transplantation, not neurons, but any other cells once known educate. “We do not know why these cells are easier to reprogram than the rest “Said the doctor who said”the fact that these cells are in characterized banks Available to all people without having to continually refer them for each particular case, the cell becomes the priority for this type of activity”.
