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PMID: 21386864 Published · ppublish English Journal Article Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't Review

Turning straw into gold: directing cell fate for regenerative medicine.

Nature reviews. Genetics ·Vol. 12 ·No. 4 ·2011-04-00 ·Pages 243-52

Cohen DE, Melton D

Abstract

Regenerative medicine offers the hope that cells for disease research and therapy might be created from readily available sources. To fulfil this promise, the cells available need to be converted into the desired cell types. We review two main approaches to accomplishing this goal: in vitro directed differentiation, which is used to push pluripotent stem cells, including embryonic stem cells or induced pluripotent stem cells, through steps similar to those that occur during embryonic development; and reprogramming (also known as transdifferentiation), in which a differentiated cell is converted directly into the cell of interest without proceeding through a pluripotent intermediate. We analyse the status of progress made using these strategies and highlight challenges that must be overcome to achieve the goal of cell-replacement therapy.

MeSH Terms
Animals Cell Differentiation/physiology Cellular Reprogramming/physiology Embryonic Stem Cells/cytology,metabolism Humans Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells/cytology,metabolism Models, Biological Pluripotent Stem Cells/cytology,metabolism Regenerative Medicine/methods
Authors & Affiliations
2 authors, click to expand affiliations / ORCID
Cohen Dena E
Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Harvard University, 7 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA.
Melton Douglas
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Article Info
Journal
Nature reviews. Genetics
Abbr.
Nat Rev Genet
ISSN
1471-0064
DOI
10.1038/nrg2938
Published
2011-04-00
Epub
2011-00-09
Pages
243-52
Language
English
Region
England
NLM ID
100962779
Subset
IM
Grants
Howard Hughes Medical Institute · United States
External Links
PubMed source DOI: 10.1038/nrg2938 View journal details
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