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World J Immunol. Jul 27, 2013; 3(2): 15-17
Published online Jul 27, 2013. doi: 10.5411/wji.v3.i2.15
Cell transplantation therapy using pluripotent stem cells
Noah Isakov
Noah Isakov, The Shraga Segal Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Genetics, Faculty of Health Sciences and the Cancer Research Center, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva 84105, Israel
Author contributions: Isakov N solely contributed to this manuscript.
Supported by The United States-Israel Binational Science Foundation and the Israel Science Foundation administered by the Israel Academy of Science and Humanities, in part; Isakov N holds the Joseph H Krupp Chair in Cancer Immunobiology
Correspondence to: Noah Isakov, PhD, Professor, The Shraga Segal Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Genetics, Faculty of Health Sciences and the Cancer Research Center, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, PO Box 653, Beer-Sheva 84105, Israel. noah@bgu.ac.il
Telephone: +972-8-6477267 Fax: +972-8-6477626
Received: March 1, 2013
Revised: April 2, 2013
Accepted: May 8, 2013
Published online: July 27, 2013
Abstract

The 2012 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded jointly to Sir John B Gurdon and Shinya Yamanaka “for the discovery that mature cells can be reprogrammed to become pluripotent”. Professor John B Gordon who pioneered the field of somatic cell nuclear transfer was the first to show that a nucleus of a mature cell can be transplanted into an enucleated egg and give rise to a living organism. His pioneering “cloning” technique paved the way for genome reprogramming and has led to subsequent cloning of differentanimal species. Professor Shinya Yamanaka revolutionized the filed of stem cell production by showing that the introduction of four selected genes into cells transform them into induced pluripotent stem cells that resemble embryonic stem cells and serve as promising cells for future regenerative medicine.

Keywords: Stem cells, Induced pluripotent stem cells, Somatic cell nuclear transfer, Nobel Prize

Core tip: The 2012 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded jointly to Sir John B Gurdon and Shinya Yamanaka “for the discovery that mature cells can be reprogrammed to become pluripotent”. Induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells derived from healthy and sick patients could be a useful source for drug discovery, while healthy iPS cells could serve as a unique and highly promising source for future cell transplantation therapies and regenerative medicine.