Comments on: Going Direct: Researchers Change Skin Into Blood With No Stops in Between

By: Austin

Austin — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 21:08:08 +0000

I can change skin into blood. I need some sandpaper and a volunteer.

By: Biologist

Biologist — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 17:16:52 +0000

Addressing the first issue of antigenic response: You could create the blood cells from the recipient. In other words if someone needs this therapy, you take their skins cells and convert them into the blood cells. All cells regardless of where they are in the body contain all the necessary genes to create any other cell. This means that when they are converted the cells will express the same surface antigens as the person’s natural blood cells. Another possibility would be to use universal donors. O- individuals express no surface antigens; and therefore, they can give blood to any individual.

As for viral infection: It is not an infection ‘per se’. This simply means using a virus (DNA/RNA with a protein shell) to deliver genes into tissues. They use viruses because they can incorporate into the cells. However, they are engineered in a way (with certain promoters and specific genes) that only allow for the incorporation and expression of the wanted genes. These are also non-replicating and cannot spread to other nearby cells.

Hope this clears some stuff up. This is really promising technology and is probably closer than you think with how fast technology is moving.

By: woundedduck

woundedduck — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 03:52:20 +0000

What we really need is a pluripotent blow job. Seriously. Way before we do blood cells-from-skin cells.

By: Mike La Torres

Mike La Torres — Sun, 10 Apr 2011 16:37:34 +0000

I’m guessing “harmless virus” refers to viral particles engineered not to carry viral genes: they can infect cells but can’t program them to make more viruses. You need specific lab conditions to produce them. They’ve been in use for a couple decades with zero “outbreaks”.

By: Nate

Nate — Sat, 09 Apr 2011 04:22:50 +0000

Didn’t they already make a game about this???
:D look out –<>–

By: Fred

Fred — Sat, 15 Jan 2011 01:19:20 +0000

Well, considering the skin cells have their growth turned back a stage or three, opening up new development paths according to environment, I would imagine that any infection of a human would mostly result in the infected cells redevolping into the same type of cell. However, there would likely be some amount of mutation, and any cells at boundaries between cell types might develope particuarly oddly. This might result in tumors, though they might not be activly malignant as with cancers. This does not seem to be a serious problem in a healthy human, though, we have an immune system that would interfere with the virus’s propagation. Afterall, it protects us daily from very similar threats.

Regardless, this is very interesting work.

By: Jimmy Cao

Jimmy Cao — Sun, 21 Nov 2010 03:40:29 +0000

Well it says “harmless virus” so I presume that if the virus infects a cell, that cell won’t change much at all, unless if the cell is exposed to those growth factors and cytokines.

By: AJ in CA

AJ in CA — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 22:48:09 +0000

This is great news, and I understand that viruses can be useful for gene therapy and whatnot…
But part of me can’t stop picturing that scene in “Raiders of the Lost Ark” there that guy’s face turns red and melts :P

By: Jennifer Welsh

Jennifer Welsh — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 17:15:39 +0000

Hey all,

Thanks for reading and commenting. Like all stem cell and induced pleuripotent stem cell work, we have no idea how these types of cells will act in humans. It is still all up in the air even what applications these types of cells may be used for.

In response to the viral worries, it seems one important thing to remember is we are constantly infected by harmless viruses (just like our bodies are infested with bacteria). But I’m sure before any clinical trials start they will find a way to transform the cells without the viral infection.

Just my thoughts.

Jen

By: Devil's Advocate

Devil's Advocate — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 01:49:01 +0000

I’m with K. What are the possible risks if the virus escaped the lab? I realize that cytokine incubation is necessary for the transformation into blood cells, but what does the intermediary step look like? If introduced onto the skin of a human, what would be the results?

By: blood doctor

blood doctor — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 12:59:54 +0000

Regarding different blood types, the first and most significant application of this technology would be producing red blood cells for people who aren’t making their own, in other words for “autologous” transfusion—so you would have the type needed if the skin cells came from the patient. If you’re talking about mass producing banked blood for “homologous” transfusions, other factors come into play. The ABO system is only one group of antigens found on the red blood cell. Even if you get ABO matched blood, you can, after transfusion, develop antibodies to any of a variety of other antigens. No one has yet found a feasible method for stripping blood of all antigens to completely prevent this.

By: jd

jd — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 12:31:26 +0000

McMaster University, Canada thank God.

No doubt private corporate interests will want to control and commoditize this…
The way “they” want to control water, food, information, eternal salvation…

On the other hand, This could replace EPO as a lead “performance boosting” technology.
Always a dark side.

I hope the University has a plan.

By: j g

j g — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 00:20:38 +0000

anyone know the company that is behind this? I would love to invest some money with them this could be huge!!

By: jd

jd — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 23:56:20 +0000

Antigenic determination in the source tissue for blood type?

By: questioner

questioner — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 23:37:23 +0000

Can anyone shed light on what they plan to do about different blood types?

By: Idlewilde

Idlewilde — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 22:57:13 +0000

I’m filing this away for future ‘vampires coexisting with humans’ stories…

By: k

Mon, 08 Nov 2010 22:47:04 +0000

It’s probably just me, but thinking about a virus than can change skin cells to blood cells makes my flesh creep. So to speak.