IPS cells promise all of the nice and none of the naughty
By Desiree Chevalier
Lance Writer
December 10, 2008
Amidst stale ethical debates about stem cells, a new technique for making adult stem cells pluripotent has emerged, offering up a resolution to both ethical and technical problems surrounding stem cells. Termed IPS (Induced Pluripotent Stem) cells, these cells offer new hope to those suffering from serious diseases and injuries. However, this new buzz has many wondering if this new technology still carries the old ethical baggage.
Many medical researchers consider stem cells a potential source of cures for many serious diseases. There are many varieties of stem cells, but generally, they are considered to have the “potential to develop into many different cell types in the body,” according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
The NIH notes that stem cells can keep dividing generally without limit for as long as an organism is alive. But not all stem cells are created equal. Adult stem cells are undifferentiated cells found in differentiated tissue of adults. These cells are considered to be able to differentiate into many different types of tissue, although are generally considered to be more limited in their ability to form any and all tissue types.
Embryonic stem cells, on the other hand, can be obtained from embryos and are able to differentiate into almost any tissue type (pluripotency). Due to the increased abilities of embryonic stem cells to differentiate into any tissue, they are sometimes considered superior to adult stem cells, although this is not necessarily true depending on the purpose that the cells will be used for. The most well-known ethical conflict with stem cell research surrounds embryonic stem cells, which are harvested from fertilized embryos. Some people fear that unregulated usage could result in unethical methods of recruiting fertilized embryos, from which embryonic stem cells are harvested. However, adult stem cells, which are harvested from consenting adult patients, are often considered much less controversial in the ethical debate surrounding stem cells.
An interesting development in stem cell research has been induced pluripotent stem cells; these cells are harvested from adults and are treated to regain some of their ability to differentiate into different tissues (near-pluripotency). These cells are being considered by some researchers to possess the full benefits of embryonic stem cells without the ethical implications.
One application for IPS cells would work backwards in comparison to how many thought stem cells would be used to treat disease; rather than being used to create a cure up front, the cells will likely be used first to culture “disease in a dish” which can then be studied and have therapeutic or preventative drugs tested on them, according to a 2008 Nature News article by David Cyranoski.
IPS cells could also be used in a more traditional sense, thorough injection at the affected site or grafting. This year, a clinical trial is underway to test the efficacy of implanted IPS cells in spinal injury patients. Despite promising new research, IPS cells are still considered to be a new frontier- although one that is definitely worth exploring. IPS cells were initially discovered by Shinya Yamanaka and Kazutoshi Takahashi from Kyoto University, who, upon discovering the IPS cell, initially kept the technique secret for six months. Why? Cyranoski reports that while IPS cells are “not easy to make,” the method can be used by anyone with “expertise in human embryonic stem-cell culture” and with more and more scientists fitting this criteria everyday, the technique presents its own ethical issue in the sense that it will be a difficult technique to regulate. Since many labs will possess the expertise and equipment required to create IPS cells, there is a chance that the technology could be used to produce a live, cloned human, although this is likely not a real risk, at least not at this time.
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