How does the advanced method to "reprogram" cells before a transplant

The five patients who received for the first time a transplant with reprogrammed cells They are evolving well two years later, reported the Japanese research center where they conducted their operations.

The Cell reprogramming or "induced pluripotency" allows to convert any cell of the body into a pluripotent stem cell, with the addition of four genes. His discovery in 2006 surprised the scientific community and changed the way of thinking about tissue function. The technique paved the way for new possibilities study and treat diseases.

Researchers are constantly working to better understand how the cell reprogramming method works and to develop better ways to control stem cells. Errors in the genes responsible for diseases vary from one patient to another. He can be possibility to create personalized treatments to solve specific genetic problems patients using this method. One of the remarkable benefits is that the patient's immune system will not refuse grafts because they are made from one's own cells.

The Japanese case

In the case of the study, five patients, suffering from "macular degeneration of the retina", a visual disturbance that may cause blindness, received an injection of solution containing: retinal cells developed from other reprogrammed cellsas part of the clinical study conducted by the state research center Riken. "We confirmed the safety" of the method, they told the institution.

Grafted cells adhered well and a patient whose body showed some rejection overcame with medications, explained the Japanese researcher Masayo Takahashi, project leader, during the presentation of the first report on postoperative recovery.

Of the five patients, four maintained their level of visual acuity after the intervention According to the report presented at the 123rd Annual Meeting of the Japanese Ophthalmological Society, one of them has seen an improvement in their vision.

Kyoto University, a leading institution in this field, is involved in several projects to adapt treatment with cells reprogrammed to other diseases like Parkinson's disease or spinal cord.