Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 11, 2026
10:52
Isolation of Adult Human Dermal Fibroblasts from Abdominal Skin and Generation of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells Using a Non-Integrating Method
Published on: January 19, 2020
Cellular reprogramming for the creation of patient-specific embryonic stem cells
Jose B Cibelli1, Arif M Kocabas, Zeki Beyhan
1Cellular Reprogramming Laboratory, Michigan State University, Michigan, USA. cibelli@msu.edu
Stem Cell Reviews
|September 13, 2007
Summary
Somatic cell nuclear transfer could create patient-specific stem cells for transplantation without immune rejection. However, this technique is unproven in primates and may be replaced by newer dedifferentiation methods.
Area of Science:
- Regenerative Medicine
- Stem Cell Biology
- Reproductive Biology
Background:
- Somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) in mammals allows for the creation of embryonic stem cells from a patient's somatic cells.
- This process holds promise for generating patient-specific tissues, avoiding immune rejection after transplantation.
- While successful in animals, SCNT has not yet been demonstrated to work effectively in primates.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the therapeutic potential of SCNT for generating patient-specific stem cells.
- To discuss the feasibility of SCNT as a viable alternative in regenerative medicine.
- To explore emerging dedifferentiation approaches that could potentially supersede SCNT.
Main Methods:
- Review of current literature on somatic cell nuclear transfer in mammals and primates.
- Analysis of the technical challenges and successes of SCNT in preclinical models.
- Discussion of alternative cell dedifferentiation strategies.
Main Results:
- SCNT has been successfully applied in various mammalian species for generating pluripotent stem cells.
- The application of SCNT in primates remains a significant hurdle, with limited success reported.
- Emerging dedifferentiation techniques show promise as potential alternatives to SCNT.
Conclusions:
- SCNT presents a potential, yet unproven, avenue for patient-specific regenerative therapies in humans.
- Further research is required to overcome the challenges of SCNT in primates and establish its clinical utility.
- Novel dedifferentiation methods may offer more efficient and accessible routes to patient-specific pluripotent stem cells in the future.
Related Concept Videos
01:29Somatic to iPS Cell Reprogramming
Reprogramming alters the gene expression in somatic cells, transforming them into induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells over several generations. Scientists can reprogram cells by introducing genes for four transcription factors—Oct4, Sox2, Klf4, and c-Myc (OSKM) by viral or non-viral methods. These factors are also known as Yamanaka factors after Shinya Yamanaka, who first generated iPS cells using mouse skin cells. Yamanaka was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2012 for this...
01:24Methods of Nuclear Reprogramming
Nuclear reprogramming is a process of transforming one cell type into an unrelated cell type by epigenetic changes that alter the cell’s original gene expression pattern. Such epigenetic changes force cells to express a different set of genes, which play a significant role in inducing transformation into other cell types. Nuclear reprogramming offers applications in reproductive cloning for livestock propagation and regenerative medicine — developing patient-specific cells for injury repair.
01:13Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells
Stem cells are undifferentiated cells that divide and produce different types of cells. Ordinarily, cells that have differentiated into a specific cell type are post-mitotic—that is, they no longer divide. However, scientists have found a way to reprogram these mature cells so that they “de-differentiate” and return to an unspecialized, proliferative state. These cells are also pluripotent like embryonic stem cells—able to produce all cell types—and are therefore called induced pluripotent stem...
01:06Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells
Stem cells are undifferentiated cells that divide and produce different cell types. Ordinarily, cells that have differentiated into a specific cell type are terminally differentiated; however, scientists have found a way to reprogram these mature cells so that they dedifferentiate and return to an unspecialized, proliferative state. These cells are pluripotent like embryonic stem cells—able to produce all cell types—and are called induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs).
Somatic cells are...
Somatic cells are...
00:58Embryonic Stem Cells
Embryonic stem (ES) cells are undifferentiated pluripotent cells, meaning they can produce any cell type in the body. This gives them tremendous potential in science and medicine since they can generate specific cell types for use in research or to replace body cells lost due to damage or disease.
00:57Embryonic Stem Cells
Embryonic stem (ES) cells were first discovered in mice in 1981 by Martin Evans. In 1998, James Thomson identified a method to isolate embryonic stem cells from humans. Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) are obtained from 3-5 day old embryos that remain unused after an in vitro fertilization procedure.
ES cells are grown in a culture medium where they can divide indefinitely, creating ES cell lines. Under certain conditions, ES cells can differentiate, either spontaneously into a variety of...
ES cells are grown in a culture medium where they can divide indefinitely, creating ES cell lines. Under certain conditions, ES cells can differentiate, either spontaneously into a variety of...