Researchers Develop New Process to Differentiate Stem Cells

April 18, 2018

(Medical Xpress) – As scientists try to find early therapy options to fight degenerative disc disease, there has been considerable interest in harnessing stem cells to restore nucleus pulposus, or NP. Previous research shows human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs)—generated directly from adult cells—can express markers for a wide variety of cells, including those that secrete NP. Now, a collaborative team of scientists at Washington University in St. Louis has developed a new process to generate NP-like cells from hiPSCs, one that truly goes back to the beginning and mimics the process of embryonic development.