Research teams from Japan have studied the regenerative capacity of diseased organs using reprogrammed stem cells.
Mature stem cells taken from the skin were altered to a state similar to that of embryonic stem cells. As a result, the cells were transformed into induced pluripotent stem cells. By acquiring new characteristics, these cells can evolve to any cell type and take a key role in the regeneration of damaged organs.
These cells have no ethical restrictions and show minimal risks of immunological rejection after transplantation. They are able to differentiate into all tissue cells. The reprogramming of stem cells is a very promising technology for personalized cell therapy, disease modeling, and the creation of new drugs.
Trial results have shown that the technology to create pluripotent stem cells is safe. The research was conducted on patients with severe visual impairment, the cornea in particular. Due to the disease, the subjects were unable to use their own stem cells to repair the damaged cornea. The clinicians, therefore, used donor-induced pluripotent stem cells to create corneal cells, which were implanted into the patients.
Three participants in the study saw a marked improvement in their vision one year after surgery. The vision of the fourth participant was virtually unchanged, as it was initially complicated by cataracts. Also, the patient’s original diagnosis was not recorded again two years after surgery, an indication of successful transplantation. Given the encouraging results, there are plans to expand the trial to include more than a dozen participants.
Another group of Japanese scientists is testing the efficacy of reprogrammed donor stem cells into heart muscle cells. Three people took part in this study, one of whom completed treatment using this method. If the test results confirm their clinical efficacy without side effects, these treatments could become the basis for regenerative medicines.