- The researchers took skin and blood cells, let them multiply, then subjected them to stress "almost to the point of death", they explained, by exposing them to various events including trauma, low oxygen levels and acidic environments.
One of these "stressful" situations was simply to bathe the cells in a weak acid solution for about 30 minutes.
Within days, the scientists found the cells had not only survived but had also recovered by naturally reverting into a state similar to that of an embryonic stem cell.
These stem cells – dubbed Stimulus-Triggered Acquisition of Pluripotency, or STAP, cells by the researchers – were then able to differentiate and mature into different types of cells and tissue, depending on the environments they were put in.
"If we can work out the mechanisms by which differentiation states are maintained and lost, it could open up a wide range of possibilities for new research and applications using living cells," said Haruko Obokata, who led the work at RIKEN.
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/technology/sci-tech/grow-your-own-stem-cells-a-game-changer-say-scientists-20140130-hvaer.html#ixzz2rvrw4yCr
Referral - http://www.nature.com/news/acid-bath-offers-easy-path-to-stem-cells-1.14600
The recent update on the STAP cells controversy -
http://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0001315195
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