Special Focus Issue on Human iPS Cells
Regenerative Medicine
Special Focus Issue (July 2010)
Guest Editors: M William Lensch (Harvard) & Mahendra Rao (Invitrogen)
Aims and Scope
Human iPS cells were first produced in 2007, when it was discovered that skin cells could be reprogrammed by the addition of just four genes. The discovery was received with huge interest both from researchers and the media, offering a potential alternative to costly and sometimes controversial embryonic stem cell research. Despite this enthusiasm, the fact that iPS cells were created via genetic engineering of the cell using viral vectors rendered them unsafe for any potential therapeutic use.
However, research in the field has progressed at breakneck speed. Several methods were quickly developed to deliver transcription factor genes without viral vectors and in April 2009 the first iPS cells were generated with no genetic alteration.
Debate still continues as to whether iPS cells are truly equivalent to ESC cells, with recent advances suggesting that cells can be reprogrammed directly from one cell type to another without an intermediate iPS cell step.
With the field moving so fast and a great deal of excitement being generated, authoritative reviews are needed to identify the genuine scientific advances amongst the hype, and offer expert commentary as to which approaches are likely to constitute the future of this field.
Bringing together experts from research, biotech and big pharma, this special focus issue will aim to shed light on the real potential of iPS cells as an alternative to embryonic stem cells in research and clinical applications.
Contents include:
Editorial
- Back to immortality: restoration of embryonic telomere length during induced pluripotency
Mike West, Biotime - Converging technologies to enable iPS cells in drug discovery
Jessica Yingling, Fate therapeutics - Direct reprogramming
John Dimos, iPierian
Research Highlights
- Highlights from the latest research in cellular reprogramming and iPS cells
Peter Gaines, Massachusetts Lowell & In-Hyun Park, Yale
Interview
- John Walker, iPierian
Review
- Translational prospects for human induced pluripotent stem cells
Marie Csetse - Potential of human iPS cells derived from blood and other postnatal cell types
Linzhao Cheng, John Hopkins - DNA methylation in cell differentiation and reprogramming
Guoping Fan, UCLA - MicroRNA in pluripotent stem cells
Uma Lakshmipathy, Invitrogen & Ron Hart, Rutgers
Perspective
- iPS cells: opportunities as research and development tools in 21st Century drug discovery
John McNeish, Pfizer
Special Report
- Regulatory considerations for the development of autologous iPS cell therapies
Melissa Carpenter - Human iPS cells: the US patent landscape
Jane Love, Wilmer/Hale - Commercialization challenges associated with iPS cell-based products
Devyn Smith, Pfizer
The issue is available to purchase in either print or electronic format for GB£165 - to order your copy click here