Cellular reprogramming

Semino, C.E., Shen, C., Sherley, J., and Zhang, S. Cellular Reprogramming in Peptide Hydrogel and Uses Thereof, 2003-US21981 2004007683 (2004). 

Chen S, Takanashi S, Zhang Q, Xiong W, Peters EC, Schultz PG. Reversine induces cellular reprogramming of lineage-committed mammalian cells. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 2007. 

The starting point for the design of a new process is the discovery phase, in which product characterization is fundamental (Kirouac and Zandstra, 2008). The isolation of stem cells from donor sources and their functional characterization are key points at this stage. In fact, different types of stem cells can be used for the production of cellular products for chnical apphcations. These cells can he isolated from embryonic or adult tissues and, more recently, cellular reprogramming can also be used to generate pluripotent cells (Takahashi and Yamanaka, 2006). 

Fig. 4 Using Human Pluripotent Stem Cells for Disease Modeling. Patient-specific somatic cells (e.g. skin fibroblasts) can be reprogrammed into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) using specific genetic factors. Neuronal cells with specific disease phenotypes can be differentiated to neural stem cells. The development of in vitro cellular models based on patient-specific cells may lead to personalized medicine approaches with minimal side effects and improved pharmacological efficacy.

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