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Stem cells have been created that develop into any tissue or organ
Last reviewed: 01.07.2025
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A new revolutionary method has allowed scientists to create stem cells from adult cells that can develop into any tissue or organ.
Scientists are one step closer to the time when various human tissues and organs can be grown. Biologists from Japan and the United States have managed to develop a unique method that allows you to obtain stem cells by “reprogramming” ordinary adult cells without changing their structure. Experts have found out that adult blood cells can be reprogrammed with acid. This unusual method allows you to return adult cells to their embryonic state in half an hour, after which any organ or tissue can be grown from such cells. Previously, growing an organ from stem cells was carried out through lengthy genetic manipulations, which were also quite expensive. Over time, scientists were able to take only one gene as a basis, not several, and they used only chemical signals instead of genetic constructs.
Experts note that the cells obtained by the new method are full-fledged in every sense. They have the ability to develop into any tissue of the body, and they can also “embed” in an embryo, which is a unique property of such reprogrammed stem cells.
All the scientists' work was carried out on lymphocytes that they isolated from the spleen of laboratory rodents. The researchers incubated the cells in a slightly acidic medium, after which they seeded them on a regular medium. As a result of the analysis, the scientists found that the lymphocytes taken from the mice acquired a similarity with stem cells. The disadvantage of such cells, according to experts, is their low ability to independently divide for a long time. But if such cells are placed in a special nutrient medium, they begin to grow and turn into something like embryonic cells.
Professor Austin Smith, from the University of Cambridge, said the new cells were a "blank slate" from which new tissue could develop, depending on the environment.
Experts consider it interesting that instead of the expected cell death or possible tumor development, the cells acquired a completely new state. Such a discovery is considered "incredible" in the scientific world, and it has allowed medicine to make a big step forward.
Stem cells allow scientists to have a source of spare cells for the body and treat a number of serious diseases, in particular spinal cord injuries, heart disease, rheumatoid arthritis, Alzheimer's disease, etc. Specialists can use such cells to restore damaged organs, stimulate the growth of new blood vessels, transplant skin in case of severe burns, etc.
The new method is the simplest and fastest for creating "pure" cells from adults. If this method works on human cells, it will allow medicine to obtain a wider range of cell therapy, the source of which will be the patient's own cells. This approach to creating stem cells is truly revolutionary; no one could previously have imagined that a small amount of acid would be needed to return cells to a pluripotent state. Scientists are currently continuing to work in this direction and it is quite possible that results will be obtained this year.
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