Human iPS Cells: Science and Ethics

Stem cells: science, policy, and ethics.

Human embryonic stem cells offer the promise of a new regenerative medicine in which damaged adult cells can be replaced with new cells. Research is needed to determine the most viable stem cell lines and reliable ways to promote the differentiation of pluripotent stem cells into specific cell types (neurons, muscle cells, etc). To create new cell lines, it is necessary to destroy preimplantati...

What is Ethics of Science and Technology?

Background: The existence of crises and problems such as non-compliance with standards and professional ethics in the field of engineering and technology, and existence of fraud and misuse in the field of science has resulted in importance of ethics in the science and technology. But the fact is that there is no accurate understanding of the ethics of science and technology, and this field is o...

Evolving science enhanced with iPS

Establishment of LIF-Dependent Human iPS Cells Closely Related to Basic FGF-Dependent Authentic iPS Cells

Human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) can be divided into a leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF)-dependent naïve type and a basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF)-dependent primed type. Although the former are more undifferentiated than the latter, they require signal transduction inhibitors and sustained expression of the transgenes used for iPSC production. We used a transcriptionally enhan...

[Evaluation of human iPS cells by neural differentiation and tumorigenicity].

Evaluation of human iPS cells by neural differentiation and tumorigenicity Yohei Okada, M.D., Ph.D.and Hideyuki Okano, M.D., Ph.D. Kanrinmaru Project, School of Medicine, Keio University Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Keio University (Clin Neurol 2011;51:1079-1080)