Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have developed a novel strategy to reprogram cells from one type to another in a more efficient and less biased manner than previous methods.
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The new approach…uses a library of artificial transcription factors to switch on genes that convert cells from one type to another. Natural transcription factors…help determine cell fate, meaning that if a cell is destined to be a skin cell, a heart cell or an eye cell, different transcription factors switch on specific sets of genes that program the cell to attain one state or another.
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“Our interest in changing cell fate comes from understanding how cells selectively use the information in our genomes to make specific cell types and also from the many therapeutic benefits such knowledge can offer,” says Asuka Eguchi, the study’s lead author…[at] the UW-Madison Department of Biochemistry. “For example, if a patient needs a certain cell type, the idea is we can reprogram their own cells to what they need, rather than relying on donor cells. This allows us to study patient-specific cells and potentially avoids issues with immune response where a patient’s body could reject the cells.”
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