Stem cell therapy for Parkinson’s proves safe in primates

September 30, 2013

In a step that brings stem cells closer to the clinic, researchers in Japan have found that transplanting reprogrammed stem cells into the brains of primates elicits little rejection by their immune systems. Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) are created when skin cells, for example, are genetically reprogrammed to an embryonic-like state. This kind of stem cells holds great potential for the treatment of disease, since the cells are genetically identical to the patient they are taken from. (Discover Magazine)