A new way to make a promising kind of stem cell has been developed by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute, an advance that might eventually improve the quality of these cells.

Scientists led by Kristin Baldwin have found that certain antibodies can revert adult mouse cells to an embryonic-like state, capable of becoming nearly any cell in the body. The antibodies latch onto the cell surface, sending signals inside that regress them to the embryonic stage.

The usual method for making these cells, called induced pluripotent stem (IPS) cells, is to reprogram them by inserting four genes carried by viruses. This raises the potential of cell damage leading to cancer. Consequently, cells made this way are carefully screened.

Of the four genes, three have been replaced by antibodies, and the team is working on the fourth. The study was published Monday in the journal Nature Biotechnology. Go to j.mp/ipsanti for the study.


Baldwin was senior author, assisted by coauthor Richard Lerner, an antibody expert. Joel W. Blanchard, also of TSRI, was first author.

“I think it’s a very exciting discovery, and not only scientifically,” said stem cell researcher Wange Lu of the University of California. “This has a lot of potential applications.”

Animal IPS cells were invented in 2006, and human IPS cells followed in 2007. These are being investigated for therapy in Parkinson’s disease, diabetes, and other ailments. It’s also possible to create “disease in a dish” models of brain diseases such as Alzheimer’s not feasible otherwise.

The antibody method removes the risk of altering the cell genome, Lu said, and could result in a more uniform quality of stem cells produced. The work needs to be duplicated in human cells for the research to move forward.


The study said using antibodies to trigger changes within more closely resembles the process of normal cell development, which is also caused by external signals that are transmitted inside.

Antibodies are made by the immune system to attack pathogens. However, they can also be designed and selected to activate molecular portals on cell surfaces, a field Lerner has explored for decades.

These Y-shaped protein molecules carry selective grasping points at the arm ends. These can be configured to match astronomical numbers of molecular combinations. The research team created about 100 million different antibodies, and tested each to see if any could substitute for the genes.

Induced pluripotent stem cells do not carry the ethical objection many have to using human embryonic stem cells. These are taken from days-old embryos killed in the process.


The IPS cells are typically made from skin cells, including those from the patients to be treated. Because they are virtually genetically identical to the patient, tissue made from these cells shouldn’t cause an immune reaction when transplanted back into the patient.

× What are induced pluripotent stem cells, and what good can they do? Jerome Zack, a researcher at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, explains.

For further reading

Brain cell replacement for Parkinson’s boosted by monkey study

Hundreds of new stem cell lines ready to help research


Cancer cells made to kill each other

Antibodies turn marrow cells into brain precursors

New antibody technology discovers drugs rapidly

Richard Lerner still making discoveries in long science career


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