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Reuters
This undated handout photo shows iPS cells derived from adult human dermal fibroblasts released by Kyoto University Professor Shinya Yamanaka at Center for iPS Cell Research and Application of Kyoto University in Kyoto, western Japan.
Scientists from Britain and Japan shared a Nobel Prize on Monday for the discovery that adult cells can be transformed back into embryo-like stem cells that may one day regrow tissue in damaged brains, hearts or other organs.
John Gurdon, 79, of the Gurdon Institute in Cambridge, Britain and Shinya Yamanaka, 50, of Kyoto University in Japan, discovered ways to create tissue that would act like embryonic cells, without the need to harvest embryos.
They share the $1.2 million Nobel Prize for Medicine, for work Gurdon began 50 years ago and Yamanaka capped with a 2006 experiment that transformed the field of "regenerative medicine" - the field of curing disease by regrowing healthy tissue.
"These groundbreaking discoveries have completely changed our view of the development and specialization of cells," the Nobel Assembly at Stockholm's Karolinska Institute said.
Photoblog: Click for a close-up viiew of the Nobel Prize-winning stem cell research
All of the body's tissue starts as stem cells, before developing into skin, blood, nerves, muscle and bone. The big hope for stem cells is that they can be used to replace damaged tissue in everything from spinal cord injuries to Parkinson's disease.
Scientists once thought it was impossible to turn adult tissue back into stem cells, which meant that new stem cells could only be created by harvesting embryos - a practice that raised ethical qualms in some countries and also means that implanted cells might be rejected by the body.
In 1958, Gurdon was the first scientist to clone an animal, producing a healthy tadpole from the egg of a frog with DNA from another tadpole's intestinal cell. That showed developed cells still carry the information needed to make every cell in the body, decades before other scientists made headlines around the world by cloning the first mammal, Dolly the sheep.
More than 40 years later, Yamanaka produced mouse stem cells from adult mouse skin cells, by inserting a few genes. His breakthrough effectively showed that the development that takes place in adult tissue could be reversed, turning adult cells back into cells that behave like embryos. The new stem cells are known as "induced pluripotency stem cells", or iPS cells.
"The eventual aim is to provide replacement cells of all kinds," Gurdon's Institute explains on its website.
"We would like to be able to find a way of obtaining spare heart or brain cells from skin or blood cells. The important point is that the replacement cells need to be from the same individual, to avoid problems of rejection and hence of the need for immunosuppression."
The science is still in its early stages, and among important concerns is the fear that iPS cells could grow out of control and develop into tumors.
Nevertheless, in the six years since Yamanaka published his findings the discoveries have already produced dramatic advances in medical research, with none of the political and ethical issues raised by embryo harvesting.
"NOT A ONE-WAY STREET"
Thomas Perlmann, Nobel Committee member and professor of Molecular Development Biology at the Karolinska Institute said: "Thanks to these two scientists, we know now that development is not strictly a one-way street."
"There is lot of promise and excitement, and difficult disorders such as neurodegenerative disorders, like perhaps Alzheimer's and, more likely, Parkinson's disease, are very interesting targets."
The techniques are already being used to grow specialized cells in laboratories to study disease, the chairman of the awards committee, Urban Lendahl, told Reuters.
"You can't take out a large part of the heart or the brain or so to study this, but now you can take a cell from for example the skin of the patient, reprogram it, return it to a pluripotent state, and then grow it in a laboratory," he said.
"The second thing is for further ahead. If you can grow different cell types from a cell from a human, you might - in theory for now but in future hopefully - be able to return cells where cells have been lost."
Yamanaka's paper has already been cited more than 4,000 times in other scientists' work. He has compared research to running marathons, and ran one in just over four hours in March to raise money for his lab.
In a news conference in Japan, he thanked his team of young researchers: "My joy is very great. But I feel a grave sense of responsibility as well."
Gurdon has spoken of an unlikely career for a young man who loved science but was steered away from it at school. He still keeps a discouraging school report on his office wall.
"I believe he has ideas about becoming a scientist... This is quite ridiculous," his teacher wrote. "It would be a sheer waste of time, both on his part and of those who have to teach him." The young John "will not listen, but will insist on doing his work in his own way."
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Leave a Comment:
Can't wait for the spin from the Wrong-Wing cretins who salivate at the simple term "stem cell research." This Nobel could easily have been earned by US researchers, except for... well... you know where this is going....
No embryo use, dolts, no embryo! Not that it matters....
You are a troll and a retard.
Put the mirror down and make a real comment.....
TCS...you are describing yourself. Thanks for the completely useless input. Go back under your bridge.
Bob, your understanding may be a little limited, but the Nobel acknowledged the work that Gurdon and Yamanaka did to show that ADULT differentiated cells can be REPROGRAMMED into pluripotent stem cells. That is precisely something you couldn't do with embryonic stem cells. The whole concept revolved around the use of non-embyonic (i.e. ultimately coming from a patient and not recognized as foreign by the immune system) cells.
truth seeker,
I think that is what Jersey Bob meant when he said, "No embryo use, dolts, no embryo! Not that it matters....". He was saying that they didn't have to use stem cells from embryos for the editfication of those conservatives and Catholics who object to such use.
Guys, TCS is mostly correct. Bob is political trolling, or at least doesn't understand the issue, or both.
The Republican party have always supported adult stem cell research which this is. Bob is incorrect in implying that this couldn't be done in the US. The the formal party line is, is the government funding cannot be used for embryonic stem cell research, only adult stem cell research and here all we are talking about funding, it's perfectly legal to engage in both kinds of research in the US.
The fact that at least 14 people gave him a thumbs up is very disheartening.
Mitchell
George W. Bush Jr. would not allow stem cell research. It hasn't always been ok in the USA...surely you know that and honestly, with the way Romney and his cohorts view women and abortion, you might just see it made illegal again. I put nothing past these fools on the right. Not all, but many.
George W. Bush supported funding for adult stem cell research and umbilical cord blood stem cell research. He opposed federal funding for embryonic stem cell research. There is a difference. More to the point of this article,he scientists who received the Nobel prize "discovered ways to create tissue that would act like embryonic cells, without the need to harvest embryos."
Good job Diverdown, I pointed out difference and you went ahead and said that anyways.
Again, good job at being ridiculously wrong.
Mitchell
Research in adult pluripotent stem-cells has always been legal in the USA. But let's be clear about why this line of research was not done as a rule in the USA. First, the scientific dogma of the time insisted that pluripotent research was a scientific dead-end, and thus many US scientists resisted research they thought may go nowhere. Second, and most important, pluripotent research did not receive the same kind of corporate funding in the USA because of patent issues. In the USA, the products of embryonic research, which are broader than just stem-cells, belong to the companies that research them. Whole lines of cells, embryo-derived chemicals, and genetic material are owned by corporations who have a patent-protected monopoly on those therapies. The discarded embryos of the abortion industry are resold as bio-medical waste that can be capitalized and owned in totality by the companies who develop therapies. With pluripotent stem-cells, this chain of ownership is not so clear. Since the genetic material belongs to a living person (or his estate), ownership of that material (or even how those rights can be relinquished) is neither clear nor easy. And at the minimum any discovery made using someone's genetic material, would require a license and a stipend be paid to the original owner of the genetic material. And at some point down the road, the original owner of the genetic material could decide to resell his genes to the highest bidder, since there is no legally-binding contract that could prevent him from doing that. Money that could have gone to funding pluripotent research was instead funneled to lobbying against the embryonic stem-cell embargo on the hope that it would produce higher corporate profits in the long run. Why didn't the USA win the pluripotent stem-cell race? Corporate greed. I hope no one is really surprised by this.
This technology will not only cure diseases, it can also be used to enable same-sex partners to have true biological children. This is one fantastic breakthrough. Kudos to science.
TCS-3900151, you are suspended for a week for violating rule # 1 of the Code of Honor.
I find it very sad that you take action upon those who do not use social etiquette, and ignore the many other people who do the very same thing - all because they are speaking intellectually.
I find that you are in violation of the code of honor.
You have raised sophisticated speakers hierarchically above the inept, you are not giving respect equally and that in itself is a disrespect to those less able to convey their opinions intelligently.
Disrespect is disrespect, no matter how smart you make yourself look.
You are suspended for 1 seconds.
This message will self destruct in 5 seconds.
But congrats to the winners - richly deserved!!
I agree! Big Congrats! Especially for Mr. Gurdon, pursuing a career when the cards dealt from school were against him. When people are discouraged from following in a field that interests them we may never know what we miss out on. (I know "Don't end a sentence with a preposition.") It is awesome that they found a way to reverse-engineer the science of stem-cell research.
Congratulations to the winners. Hopefully this will mark the start of a new era in stem cell research!
Obama is a shoe for the economics award. He magically reduced the unemployment rate to 7.8% by providing enough government benefits so people didn't have to look for work.
You had the choice to say something positive about scientists or to bash the President. I conclude you don't like either but dislike the President more. Is it any wonder the US is falling behind in science with attitudes like this?
Common-Man: Anyone who pretends to be common is wishing that his twisted mentality is not as twisted, well here's the wake up call for you: You are not as common as you think, most people out there crave for scientific research, it is research and innovation that leads to job creation.
Science is one one thing. Big government oppression is something else.
Common Man, I understand your prowess as a moron is the only thing of which you have to be proud, but please go do it elsewhere.
Troll.
And NONE of this research would have been able to be funded if Republicans had their way.
And they bitch about a clump of cells being destroyed - yet Mittens wants to arm the Syrians with OUR weapons, paint ANOTHER target on America's back, and be the one responsible for more slaughter and death AND STILL CLAIM TO BE PRO-LIFE.
You Republican bastards know NO shame at all.
Sam, is it that you haven't read the article or is it that your IQ is a little limited? The central concept that is rewarded here is that you can use adult differentiated cells (from the patient, hence completely compatible with him/her) and reprogram them into pluripotent stem cells. FYI, this is precisely the kind of stem cell research that was funded by republicans. And I say that even though I am not one of them by any stretch of imagination.
I find it interesting how many people who are pro-life live in gated secure communities separated from their neighbors.
Stem cell research is being funded by the federal government and private funds. Just because the federal government does not fund research on embryonic stem cells, does not mean that privately funded research can't fund embryonic stem cell research. Stem cell research in the USA is proceeding at a rapid pace in this country with and without federal funding.
The article is about a Brit and Japanese scientist receiving the Nobel Prize. It would be interesting to know who helped fund their research.
Anyone know who that might be?
I hate people that make everything into a Republican versus Democrat thing - really, it's ridiculous by now. Have your own set of beliefs instead of following the cookie cutter handbook of your stupid political party, whichever one that may be. This is a huge breakthrough that should be celebrated, not politicized.
Andy I think that it is important to note that the Scientists from Japan and Britain have just shown that the race for stem cells is outdated. By remodeling cells from a patient and using their own cells to make repairs it will elimiate the need for immunosuppression. This is a huge prospect.
Wrong Sam, this research would absolutely have been funded as it's adult stem cell research which the Republican party supports.
Mitchell
Not just a giant stepping-stone towards the treatment of diseases like Parkinson's and countless others but a huge leap in the understanding of all biology.
Still, it's unfortunate that as a nation we have chosen to put ourselves at an enormous disadvantage in one of the most exciting and potentially rewarding fields of scientific research to come along in many generations.
Very true.
I've always maintained that cures for diseases such as diabetes, Parkinsons, etc. would come from Europe or Asia and not the U.S.
Now this is worthy of a Nobel prize.
NOT someone like Obama who had done nothing, deserved nothing and still has done nothing and still deserves nothing.
This is the kind of research if I had money I would fund.
So all you billionaires out there, this is the future. Start funding already.
I'll bet you are on of those right wingnuts that take a pot shot at Obama on every non-political story you come across...
Obama supports diplomacy with a big stick. We will use our forces as a last resort, instead of preemptively attacking others with whom we have a difference of ideology.
But yes, this breakthrough is indeed worthy of a Nobel.
IMO, all Nobel Prizes became irrelevant after 2009.
Unless you count Jimmy Carter and Yassar Arafat in 2002.
Ya, you guys should send yours back in protest
Nobel Prizes are still very relevant. It is the closed minded people, like yourself, that only see what you want to see. How very sad.
There is a new stem cell product derived from discarded amniotic fluid, with the mothers consent. It is being marketed for treatment of torn ligaments, muscles, etc. While not 100% effective, it shows remarkable results. I had a torn ligament that never healed, and gradually got worse over several years, despite several attempts with conventional therapies. After one injection, I was back competing in dance in the matter of a couple of months. I was amazed.
I learned that there are treatments using stem cells derived from the patients blood, but it is less effective. In any case, stem cell therapy for all sorts of soft-tissue injuries show enormous potential.
In other news, President Obama was also given the Nobel Prize in Medicine. He sat through two hours of a Nova program about stem cell research.
And could understand the subject matter being discussed. How far we have come in selecting our leaders since 2000 and 2004.
That's nice. I remember when the Nobel Prize used to mean something.
Ask anyone in the science community if means anything.
Ask anyone in the public how respectable a Nobel prize is. Obama got one. See..?
Many people in the public are educated and so still have great respect for Nobel Prizes. Many people had no respect for scientists anyway, so there isn't much to be said for them.
Surely Obama is eligible for some Nobel prize. Its a election year for crying out loud.
Re-election year. 4 more weeks and it's buh-bye Romney
doug,
People can be fooled once but not twice. The first time was he offered some form of change. Well in the past 4 years there is little change except in the lowering of our world standing due to a weak "leader". But now he has to run on his record which is dismal at the very best.
The guy can talk, I'll give you that but he can't avoid the responsibility anymore for our economy by blaming Bush. Now we gotta blame obama and that ain't gonna translate into votes for him no matter how you want to look at it.
Richard, looks like you can talk pretty well too. What part of buh-bye didn't you understand? the 'buh' or the 'bye' ?
Saving the eeconomy ain't good enough for you?
Oh you wanted IMMEDIATELY to go back to the Clinton era economy after Bush pirated the economy for 8 years.
Call yourself reasonable.. I dare you.
Richard...three words...Bush and Cheney...So, yea, the "american people" can be fooled twice and if Romney gets elected...well that would make three times...I won't get fooled again.
Obama 2012...we don't need another Bush in office. Thanks.
Well lookie here - winners that actually DID something to earn their prizes unlike the current occupant of the White House.
Gosh I only wish we could turn back the clock to 2008 when W was in office and the Economy was hanging over the edge of a worlwide clamity, fighting stupidly two unfunded wars, Hailburton was earnestly raiding Billions MONTHLY from the US Treasury.. gosh I pine for those days.
Oh SNAP. But wait I could vote for Mittens and we could relieve the greatest days of George Bush, a Presidential Sequel.
Wow.. a major breakthrough for all makind, and some want to throw stones?
Sad when an ego overtakes logic and reason.
o.k. guys. We get it: you don't like that Obama won a Nobel Peace Prize.
This one is entirely different and is not chosen by the same committee who decided the peace prize in 2008. Give it a rest.
Stem Cells/Reasonble People/Democrates/For the prevention of Diseases 1
Republicans/Party of No/Fleebagggers/Nasty Dieseases 0
Good Day for all mankind, every the party of no, but they don't know it.
Science is the greatest tool we have for improving our future. I always thought this was the best approach, just to sidestep the tissue rejection problems.
Very promising the question is how long do we think it will take to get it from the lab to real use?
Here is a simple, non-technical explanation on the basics on which the Nobel Prize winning work is based on.
Please do read and leave your opinion! TY
I think Mitt Romney should have won it....for the same reason as Obama....and I know it was the "Peace" prize but it forever tarnished the Nobel name...
Well, that's great, but Al Gore had already discovered this information...
Has anyone read about the lawsuit with Dr. Rongxiang Xu? He's going after Yamanaka and the Nobel Assembly because of one of his claims about pluripotent stem cells. It's really interesting to see what Xu has been doing with his company MEBO. He has a host of patents.