“Latest Stem Cells News”

Former Vice President Al Gore Endorses Trans-Pacific Collaboration to Promote Use of Patient Cells for Drug Discovery and Development and Cell-Based Therapies iZumi Bio, Inc., and Kyoto University‘s Center for iPS Cell Research and Application (CiRA), today announced a collaboration to promote the basic research, development and application of induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell technology – a form of cellular reprogramming which originated in Japan – with the goal of advancing drug discovery and enabling cell-based therapies.

“Stem cell research holds great promise for the creation of new therapies that could revolutionize the treatment of disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, diabetes and muscular dystrophy. The discovery that iPScell technology brings, that “stem cell-like” cells can be generated from a small amount of human skin rather than from embryos, opens a new door for stem cell research and its application to therapeutic discovery,” said Al Gore, former Vice President of the United States and a partner at venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers. Noting that Science Magazine named cellular reprogramming the “breakthrough of the year” in 2008, Gore concluded, “The partnership between these two leading organizations is a critical step in furthering this research and turning stem cell research into therapeutic realities sooner.”

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Before going ahead and explaining the possibilities that are on the verge of development based on the regenerative capabilities of a stem cell, let us first understand what a stem cell is actually. Stem cells are the basic group of cells that have the extremely potent capability of regenerating themselves. The process through which they regenerate themselves is known as mitotic cell division and after the division, the previously unspecialized cells turn into specialized cells for specific organs through cellular differentiation.

These cells are not found in unicellular organisms, but are found in varying quantities within all multi cellular organisms. Embryonic stem cells and adult stem cells are the two types of stem cells that are present inside all mammals naturally. The function of the embryonic stem cells is to differentiate and form all of the embryonic organs and tissues. As adult stem cells, they are more given towards repairing organ cells, but they constantly contribute to regeneration by helping the natural renewal of skin and blood.

As the stem cells in a human being possess regenerative properties along with the ability to form specialized cells, they have been a great prospect for achieving ground breaking technological progress in the field of medical science since 1960, when Ernest A. McCulloch and James E. Till started it all in the University of Toronto.

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