Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
6
Low-risk, low-value: iPS cells
Abstract.
The final chapter is the most speculative, ultimately giving
rise to scenarios in which the promise of induced pluripotent stem
cells has taken off. The technical background and ongoing disputes
about the nature of induced pluripotent stem cells are discussed in the
first instance. Examples of companies developing induced pluripotent
stem cell based products are used to draw attention to the potential
commercial opportunities that exist within the stem cell market.
Keywords:
induced pluripotency, disease-in-a-dish, the Frozen Zoo,
products and reagents, collaborative licensing, replacement body parts
The discovery in 2006 (Takahashi and Yamanaka, 2006) that adult
animal cells could be reverse engineered to become pluripotent was
hailed as a revolutionary step in the field of stem cell biology that
would one day make the need for embryonic stem cell research
obsolete. When the technique was demonstrated with human cells
excitement about the possibilities for human clinical applications
grew apace (Takahashi et al., 2007; Yu et al., 2007). Induced
pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) are thought to be similar to embryonic
stem cells in their developmental capacity, and thus their potential
role in regenerative medicine is seen to be equally possible, but
without the ethical disadvantages of using embryos. Starting with a
fully matured cell and inducing pluripotency, iPSCs avoid the
destruction of embryos in their production. Another key advantage
of iPSCs is their potential to be used as autologous sources for
regenerative capacity in the clinic.
