5/31/2009 PERMALINK
A major breakthrough in regenerative medicine and lifespan extension
A study led by researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, appears to be a major breakthrough in regenerative medicine and lifespan extension. The study proves in principle that a human genetic disease can be cured using a combination of gene therapy and induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell technology. Although several studies have demonstrated the efficacy of this approach in mice, the Salk study offers the first proof that this technology can work in human cells. "We haven't cured a human being, but we have cured a cell," said the study's leader Juan-Carlos Izpisua Belmonte, Ph.D. "In theory we could transplant it into a human and cure the disease."