Cellular reprogramming allows scientists to generate cells for the study of cancer in laboratory settings. These cells are referred to as pluripotent stem cells or iPSCs. Until recently, it was assumed that all iPSCs, regardless of their origins,had the same capacity for differentiation, meaning they possessed the same ability to turn into a mature cell in any tissue. Dr. Mick Bhatia’s lab set out to determine whether or not this was true. What they found is revolutionizing stem cell therapy, disease modelling and personalized drug discoveries.
See more in this month’s column in the Londoner from our guest columnist Paige Collins of the Stem Cell and Cancer Research Institute, McMaster University, Hamilton.
For more information on the work being done at the Cell and Cancer Research Institute visit http://sccri.mcmaster.ca/ or their blog mcmastersccri.com
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