Skip to: Content
Skip to: Site Navigation
Skip to: Search

August 29, 2008 12:40:58 PM CDT

Learn about Newser Points »

« Back to the grid | Next story »

Skin Stem Cells Cure Sickle Cell in Mice

Posted Dec 7, 07 3:28 AM CST in Technology,  Science & Health 

(Newser) – In the latest advance in revolutionary new stem cell research, scientists have cured sickle-cell anemia in mice using stem cells made from skin. It's the first proof that such cells can be used to cure hereditary diseases. But because the cure involved the use of viruses to alter DNA, significant changes would have to be made before the technique could be used on humans.

The news follows revelations by scientists at two separate labs last month that they could grow stem cells from skin, replacing the controversial use of embryonic tissue. In the recent project detailed in Science, scientists removed a few skin cells from the mice, turned them into stem cells, replaced the section of their DNA that causes the blood disease, then developed them into healthy bone marrow cells.

Source Washington Post

0 comments | Print E-mail | Digg Seed this on Newsvine Add this link to Del.icio.us StumbleUpon

Related Newser Stories

  • Third Team Turns Skin Into Stem Cells

    Dec 24, 07 4:40 AM CST
    Third Team Turns Skin Into Stem Cells A third team of scientists has successfully turn skin cells into stem cells that can be coaxed into becoming any kind of tissue. The American researchers are the first group to manage the feat with a volunteer's cells, not cells grown in a lab, which demonstrates that such cells could be widely available. More »

  • Stem Cell Breakthrough Spares Embryos

    Jun 6, 07 5:48 PM CDT
    Stem Cell Breakthrough Spares Embryos Normal skin cells can be transformed into the equivalent of stem cells in mice, researchers report, and the new technique may revolutionize research on humans. Because it doesn't involve embryos or eggs, the process skirts the ethical quagmires surrounding human stem cell research; the easy availability of raw material and relative simplicity of the technique are logistical pluses. More »

Laboratory mice used for genetic research.   (Magnum Photos)
Research mice   (KRT Photos)
Experimental mice, used in teaching, are seen in a cage at The Experimental Animal Center of Sun Yat Sen University of Medical Sciences, in Guangzhou, China.   (KRT Photos)
Researchers cure sickle-cell anemia in mice.   (Getty Images)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

Threads (1 of 2)

Tags

medical research  • stem cells  • virus  • mice  • gene therapy  • skin cells


Loading...

Premium Articles from HighBeam

Find more articles like this

Today's Most Popular


Other Science & Health Stories

What is Newser?

2008 Codie Finalist

Newser gives you more news in less time. We search for the best and most important stories all over the web, read them for you, and deliver concise and sharp summaries—along with links to the full text. Newser provides a way to stay on top of an ever-expanding horizon of news and opinion—politics, sports, business, trends, technology, personalities, crimes, and controversies. Newser keeps you not just better informed, but, with our signature graphic interface and smart condensed format, more enjoyably informed.

Learn more »