New Genetic Technique Converts Skin Cells Into Brain Cells

[Determinist]

ScienceDaily (June 9, 2011) —
A research breakthrough has proven that it is possible to reprogram mature cells from human skin directly into brain cells, without passing through the stem cell stage.
The unexpectedly simple technique involves activating three genes in the skin cells; genes which are already known to be active in the formation of brain cells at the fetal stage.


http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/20 ... 084815.htm

The discovery represents a fundamental change in the view of the function and capacity of mature cells. By taking mature cells as their starting point instead of stem cells, the Lund researchers also avoid the ethical issues linked to research on embryonic stem cells.

"This is the big idea in the long run. We hope to be able to do a biopsy on a patient, make dopamine cells, for example, and then transplant them as a treatment for Parkinson's disease," says Malin Parmar, who is now continuing the research to develop more types of brain cells using the new technique.