Using induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells to model human disease 
(Seminars)
3 April 2012
3.30pm
Venue: Room 501.505, Level 5, Building 501, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, Grafton Campus
Contact info: Robyn McDonald
Contact email: r.mcdonald@auckland.ac.nz
Department of Molecular Medicine and Pathology seminar by Associate Professor Alan Davidson.
Stem cells hold tremendous potential to treat and to study a range of diseases. While adult stem cells are restricted in their potential, embryonic stem cells are pluripotent and can be differentiated into any cell type in the body. Human embryonic stem cell research has been stifled because their generation requires the destruction of human embryos, raising ethical concerns. More recently, alternative ways to generate embryonic-like stem cells have been developed. Known as induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, these cells are generated by ‘reprogramming’ adult cells and therefore do not require embryos. We have generated human iPS cells for a patient with Cystinosis, a rare genetic disease that causes kidney failure due to a toxic accumulation of cystine. These cells provide a versatile in vitro model to study the pathogenesis of the disease and as a future screening platform to screen for better drugs.
