The research team of Prof. Dr. Heinz Redl from the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute of Experimental and Clinical Traumatology, Prof. Dr. Regina Grillari, Senior Vice President of the Cell Line Development of Evercyte GmbH, as well as Dr. Ting Zhou from the Stem Cell and Cancer Biology Group, Key Laboratory of Regenerative Biology, South China Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, in Guangzhou, China, succeded in producing iPS cells without any intervention into the human´s body.
In contrast to embryonic stem cells, these iPS cells are ethically harmless cells, which are normally gained from an adult humans skin via interpunction.

First, cells which come out with the urine are re-differenciated into iPS cells. After that they can be transformed into liver, nerve or heart muscle cells. In the short-term the scientists want to use these iPS cells as models and in vitro test systems for studying diseases in fundamental research replacing animal experiments. In the long-term the research team wants to produce organs from iPS for transplant targeting to avoid patients´ rejections. This should be possible because donor and receiver of the cells or tissue are the same person. This will make the research on genetically manipulated animal organs for xenotransplantation obsolet.

However, there are many problems to be solved before thos method can have therapeutic applications e. g.degeneration of any cells or rejection as a result of using biocompatible polymers as scaffolds during the production process of articifial organs.

Contact:
Prof. Dr. Heinz Redl
Ludwig Boltzmann Institute of Experimental and Clinical Traumatology
Tel: +43 1 33110 464
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Assoc. Prof.Dr. Regina Grillari
Institute of Applied Microbiology
Tel: +43 1 47654 6806
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Original publication:
Zhou, T. (2011): Generation of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells from Urine. J Am Soc Nephrol 22: 1221–1228.

Source: http://sonstige.universimed.com/artikel/hoffnung-aus-dem-harn-urin-als-quelle-f%C3%BCr-stammzellen