Researchers use common cold virus to create stem cells

Researchers at Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI) have used the common cold virus to create induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells in mice, thus eliminating the need for potentially-dangerous retroviruses.

Scientists have known how to create iPS cells from adult cells for some time; however questions over the safety of the technique have hampered stem cell research in this area. These questions arose because, until now, the technique relied upon retroviruses, which actually integrate themselves into the DNA of the new cells, and have the potential to trigger tumor growth.

However, Konrad Hochedlinger and colleagues at the HSCI say that they have managed to create mouse iPS cells with adenoviruses – the viruses responsible for the common cold. The great advantage of using adenoviruses is that they deliver the necessary transcription factors to the cells, but are cleared by the cells after a few cell divisions, thus meaning that they are not integrated into their DNA. “This wouldn't be harmful in any way because the DNA of the new cells remains unaffected,” said Hochedlinger, an assistant professor at Harvard's Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology (SCRB) in a news release issued by the university. “The next step is to reproduce this work using human cells, and there's no reason why it can't work. This basically provides us with a system with which to test the question of whether iPS cells are the equivalent of human embryonic stem cells. That's a question that, in my opinion, hasn't been answered yet.”

Stadtfeld M, Nagaya M, Utikal J, Weir G, Hochedlinger K. Induced pluripotent stem cells generated without viral integration. Science. Published Online September 25, 2008. DOI: 10.1126/science.1162494

News release: Important new step toward producing stem cells for human treatment. Harvard University Website. September 26th 2008.