Clinical trials of iPS cells – in no more than 10 years?

Experiments on transplanting grown cells will begin within 10 years
Ksenia Naka, RIA Novosti

The first clinical studies on the transplantation of healthy cells of various organs artificially grown from induced pluripotent stem cells to humans will be carried out over the next 10 years, Professor Shinya Yamanaka, head of the Research Institute of Regenerative Medicine, said on Saturday at a symposium on iPS cells that opened in Tokyo.

For the first time artificial multifunctional stem cells of non–embryonic origin, the so-called induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS), capable of forming healthy cells of various organs, were obtained by Professor Shinya Yamanaka of Kyoto University in 2006. Scientists have managed to create a stem cell from an ordinary human skin cell. This discovery removed the previously existing ethical problem of using human embryonic cells and gave prospects for the creation of tissues and organs to replace those damaged or lost due to illness or injury. Moreover, the building material for these organs and tissues will be the cells of the person himself.

"More than 200 different types of cells can be created from one iPS cell. It's like a time machine – we get the opportunity to return to the point when the patient was healthy and all his organs were functioning normally," said the "father" of induced pluripotent cells.

In the four years since the creation of iPS cells, scientists, exposing them to various influences, have learned how to grow heart muscle cells, intestines, pancreas, retina, blood, skin, and nerve cells from them. In animal experiments, scientists managed to make a mouse walk with paralyzed hind limbs.

However, the main problem hindering the use of these cells in medicine is still a high risk of developing cancer. In animal experiments, it turned out that new cells obtained from iPS cells often degenerate into cancer cells.

"We are devoting all our efforts to research how to prevent the development of cancer cells," Yamanaka said. However, presumably it will take several years to achieve guaranteed safety of cells grown from iPS cells.

In addition to specialists, 650 people with severe and incurable diseases were invited to the symposium. Professor Yamanaka also answered their questions about how many years later you can expect to be treated with iPS cells.

"I always remember about people with serious illnesses. I devote all my efforts to further research. Our goal is 10 years. Within 10 years, we expect to conduct at least one or two clinical studies on humans and begin treatment for the revival (of tissues and organs)," said Professor Yamanaka.

In June of this year, the Japanese government reviewed and generally approved the conduct of clinical trials in humans, subject to ethical restrictions and safety for the patient.

Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru05.10.2010