Novel Technique Produces Stem Cells from Peripheral Blood

Stem cells are unique in that they possessed the characteristic to self renew and can differentiate into multiple cell types (pluripotency).  A number of studies suggest their potential therapeutic value in regenerative medicine.  Gustavo Mostoslavsky, from Boston University (Massachusetts, USA), and colleagues utilize a lentiviral vector to efficiently produce high quality, induced pluripotent stem cell lines. Explaining that: "the ease of obtaining the tissue sample combined with the high efficiency of reprogramming makes this method a very valuable tool in the field,” the study authors submit that: "This protocol is simple, robust and highly consistent, providing a reliable methodology for the generation of human iPSCs from readily accessible 4 ml of blood.”