Two recent papers by CIRM grantees highlight the importance of understanding basic stem cell biology while developing new cures. Both have to do with chemical modifications to the DNA – called epigenetics. One of the two papers shows that an epigenetic change in DNA, called methylation, changes dramatically as human embryonic stem cells mature into … Continue reading Small DNA changes, life or death consequences
Month: February 2010
Virus-free Technique Yields Pluripotent Stem Cells
Stem cells in fat hold intrigue for scientists because most of us have excess to spare, and the cells seem to be quite versatile. Now a team at Stanford has found a way to transform them into induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells without using potentially dangerous viruses to carry the reprogramming genes into the cells.This … Continue reading Virus-free Technique Yields Pluripotent Stem Cells
The Stem Cellar 