The “Wild Card” Cells of Regenerative Medicine
iPSCs (induced Pluripotent Stem Cells) are pluripotent stem cells, meaning they are capable of generating any type of cell that makes up the human body.
iPSCs, for example, can generate skin cells, heart cells, nervous system cells, and so on, covering all 255 different cell types that make up the human body. iPSCs are generated from cells that are not stem cells, the so-called adult cells. Specifically, EternaCell obtains iPSCs using its proprietary protocol starting from nucleated cells present in the blood, namely monocytes, which are considered one of the best sources for deriving iPSCs.
This reprogramming is one of the most important discoveries in modern medicine, recognized with the Nobel Prize in 2012 awarded to its inventor Shinya Yamanaka.
How are they obtained
iPSCs are obtained by reactivating pluripotency-associated genes in somatic cells through the application of specific “reprogramming factors.” Essentially, every cell in our body contains a complete “instruction manual,” the DNA, which governs all its functions. However, in adult cells only a portion of these instructions is utilized, depending on their specific function: a skin cell reads only the instructions necessary to be such, while a heart cell uses a different set of information.
Cellular reprogramming unlocks this limitation by transforming the cell into a sort of “wild card” cell (the induced pluripotent stem cell) capable of becoming any other cell type.
The iPSCs resulting from reprogramming are genetically yours, therefore fully compatible with you, and can serve as the foundation for personalized medicine applications.
Why They Are Important
iPSCs are considered one of the most promising technologies because, prospectively, they could enable the generation of cells and tissues for applications in regenerative medicine and the development of advanced cell therapies.
Regenerating Damaged Tissues
iPSCs differentiated into neurons, cardiac cells, pancreatic cells, and other cell types are already at the forefront of clinical studies for neurodegenerative, cardiac, and metabolic diseases.
Reducing the risk of rejection
When iPSCs are derived from the same person’s cells, the resulting cells are genetically compatible and reduce the risk of rejection compared to material from external donors.
Towards Truly Personalized Therapies
iPSCs enable the creation of disease models “in vitro” to test drugs and therapeutic strategies on cells from individual patients, with a view to developing targeted therapies.
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