Ben Andrew Henry – The Scientist –
While studying a rare genetic disease, researchers discovered a signaling pathway linked to the efficiency of reprogramming somatic cells into stem cells.
Thanks to a chance discovery, researchers have found a more efficient way to create induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), which are widely used in regenerative medicine research and drug development. The discovery comes from Shinya Yamanaka, the scientist who first created iPSCs in 2006, along with his colleagues at the Gladstone Institutes, and was published in PNAS – October 24.