Reprogramming Human Cells Without Inserting Genes

Research team at WPI and CellThera discovers a way to turn on **stem cell** genes in human **skin cells** without using viruses or inserting **new genes**. This discovery opens a new avenue for **reprogramming** cells that could eventually lead to **treatments** for a range of human diseases and traumatic injuries by coaxing a patient's own cells to repair and **regenerate** the damaged tissues. The research team reported its findings in the paper "Induction of Stem Cell Gene Expression in Adult Human Fibroblasts without Transgenes," published online July 21, 2009 (in advance of September print publication) as a "fast track" paper from the journal Cloning and Stem Cells. (Cloning, Stem Cells. 2009 Jul 21.) "Worcester Polytechnic Institute":[ http://www.wpi.edu/news/20090/Reprogcells.html]

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