iPS cell research outpacing embryonic stem cell research

Nature Reports features a story on the rapid advancement of research using induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells. Induced pluripotent stem cells are created by inserting genes into ordinary skin cells. These iPS cells have the same properties as embryonic stem cells but don’t require human embryos to be killed.

The Nature Reports Stem Cells’ story notes how numerous leading stem cell scientists are very enthusiastic about how quickly work on iPS cells is moving forward. One scientist, James Thomson, even notes how “The ten-year head start human ES (embryonic stem) cells got on human iPS cells has effectively shrunk to zero.”

The article also notes the large number of requests from scientists and labs who want to work with iPS cells. Some scientists formerly focused on embryonic stem cell research are now turning their energy into working with iPS cells. Since human embryos don’t need to be killed to create iPS cells they don’t face the same ethical barriers that embryonic stem cells do.

Since iPS cells can match a patient’s DNA, they also solve one of the problems which some scientists were hoping to solve by cloning human embryos.