Imagine being able to reprogram the cells of your own body to produce fresh heart cells, regenerated nerve cells to heal spinal cord injuries, pancreatic cells to stop diabetes — or any other type of tissue to cure what ails you.
This may sound like a widely exaggerated vision of the future, based on the politically controversial use of stem cells extracted from made-to-order human embryos. But that assessment would be wrong on two counts: First, somatic cell reprogramming avoids the political controversy. And second, it’s sounding less and less like a wild exaggeration with each passing month.
In fact, experts on both sides of the stem cell debate say the scientific hopes for somatic cell reprogramming, also known as dedifferentiation, are rising sharply — although they caution that much more work remains to be done.
"Just a few years ago, it was beyond the reach of the existing science at the time … almost like alchemy, where you’re trying to turn lead into gold," said Dr. Robert Lanza, vice president of medical and scientific development at Massachusetts-based Advanced Cell Technology.
But today, new tools have changed the landscape: "Our group, and I know at least two or three others, are playing with different techniques, and it’s very clear that something is going on here. We’re definitely getting reprogramming," Lanza said.
Dr. Leon Kass, chairman of the President’s Council on Bioethics, sees cell reprogramming as the "most exciting new development" in stem cell research.
"I think that’s where the gold is buried," he told MSNBC.com.
