stemceller's Journal: Major step forward in understanding cell reprogramming

Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI) and Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Researchers have taken a major step toward eventually being able to reprogram adult cells to an embryonic stem cell-like state without the use of viruses or cancer-causing genes. In a paper released on-line today by the journal Cell Stem Cell, Konrad Hochedlinger and colleagues report that they have both discovered how long adult cells need to be exposed to reprogramming factors before they convert to an embryonic-like state, and have "defined the sequence of events that occur during reprogramming."