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| Prof John Gurdon has been awarded the Nobel prize |
Two
pioneers of stem cell research have shared the Nobel prize for medicine or
physiology.
John Gurdon
from the UK and Shinya Yamanaka from Japan were awarded the prize for changing
adult cells into stem cells, which can become any other type of cell in the
body.
Prof Gurdon
used a gut sample to clone frogs and Prof Yamanaka altered genes to reprogramme
cells.
The Nobel
committee said they had "revolutionised" science.
When a
sperm fertilises an egg there is just one type of cell. It multiplies and some
of the resulting cells become specialised to create all the tissues of the body
including nerve and bone and skin.
It had been
though to be a one-way process - once a cell had become specialised it could
not change its fate.
In 1962,
John Gurdon showed that the genetic information inside a cell taken from the
intestines of a frog contained all the information need to create a whole new
frog. He took the genetic information and placed it inside a frog egg. The
resulting clone developed into a normal tadpole.
The
technique would eventually give rise to Dolly the sheep, the first cloned
mammal.
Reset
button
Forty years
later Shinya Yamanaka used a different approach. Rather than transferring the
genetic information into an egg, he reset it.
He added
four genes to skin cells which transformed them into stem cells, which in turn
could become specialised cells.
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| Shinya Yamanaka used four genes to change a skin cell into a stem cell |
The Nobel
committee said the discovery had "revolutionized our understanding of how
cells and organisms develop.
"The
discoveries of Gurdon and Yamanaka have shown that specialized cells can turn
back the developmental clock under certain circumstances.
"These
discoveries have also provided new tools for scientists around the world and
led to remarkable progress in many areas of medicine."
Prof
Yamanaka said it was a "tremendous honour" to be given the award. He
also praised Prof Gurdon: "I am able to receive this award because of John
Gurdon.
"This
field has a very long history, starting with John Gurdon."
Medicine
It is hoped
the techniques will revolutionise medicine by using a sample of person's skin
to create stem cells.
The idea is
that they could be used to repair the heart after a heart attack or reverse the
progress of Alzheimer's disease.
Prof
Gurdon, now at the Gurdon Institute at Cambridge University, described his
research as: "Trying to find ways of obtaining embryo cells from the cells
of an adult.
"The
eventual aim is to provide replacement cells of all kinds starting from usually
obtainable cells of an adult individual.
"For
example, we would like to be able to find a way of obtaining spare heart or
brain cells from skin or blood cells."
Prof
Yamanaka, who started his career as a surgeon, said: "My goal, all my
life, is to bring this stem cell technology to the bedside, to patients, to
clinic."
Prof
Anthony Hollander, the head of cellular and molecular medicine at the
University of Bristol, said: "This joint Nobel Prize traces and celebrates
the wonderful scientific journey from John Gurdon's pioneering early work to
the sensational discovery of somatic cell reprogramming by Shinya Yamanaka.
"It's
fantastic news for stem cell research."
 |
Two stem
cells complete the process of mitosis. Photograph:
David Scharf/ Science
Faction/Corbis
|
Related Articles:
"Recalibration of Knowledge" – Jan 14, 2012 (Kryon channelled by Lee Carroll) - (Subjects: Channelling, God-Creator, Benevolent Design, New Energy, Shift of Human Consciousness, (Old) Souls, Reincarnation, Gaia, Old Energies (Africa,Terrorists, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Venezuela ... ), Weather, Rejuvenation, Akash, Nicolas Tesla / Einstein, Cold Fusion, Magnetics, Lemuria, Atomic Structure (Electrons, Particles, Polarity, Self Balancing, Magnetism, Higgs Boson), Entanglement, "Life is necessary for a Universe to exist and not the other way around", DNA, Humans (Baby getting ready, First Breath, Stem Cells, Embryonic Stem Cells, Rejuvenation), Global Unity, ... etc.) - (Text Version)
”… There
are several things that are going to happen in mainstream science. First,
you're going to find some secrets of DNA and they're going to be embryonic.
Start watching scientists discover the embryonic cells and the magic within
them. You already know that unusual stem cells exist in the placenta. You also
know that the pre-programmed adult stem cells are still there in the body. But
what about the DNA of the unborn? (Intellectuals, please keep reading, for to
stop now will create unrest.) Second, your work today Yawee, will represent
"the perfect template" without using what you did in Lemuria. That's
why you're the Human who will do this. It's an extension of why you came here,
and is perfect for 2012 and beyond.
These embryonic cells of the unborn are untouchable by society, and they might as well be on Mars, for no science is going to try to use these cells in a 3D manner, which is all you know how to do at this point. If they try, it won't work anyway. There are quantum processes you are learning about that are not only non-invasive, but actually helpful and that can transfer attributes from one biological cell to another and from one Human to another. Think "wireless" [Kryon human again]. What you thought would take wires over 1,000 miles long is now done with satellites. It's an analogy that shows you that you are moving into totally new understandings of the transfer of energy. Let's discuss the mother in that temple for a moment. …”
These embryonic cells of the unborn are untouchable by society, and they might as well be on Mars, for no science is going to try to use these cells in a 3D manner, which is all you know how to do at this point. If they try, it won't work anyway. There are quantum processes you are learning about that are not only non-invasive, but actually helpful and that can transfer attributes from one biological cell to another and from one Human to another. Think "wireless" [Kryon human again]. What you thought would take wires over 1,000 miles long is now done with satellites. It's an analogy that shows you that you are moving into totally new understandings of the transfer of energy. Let's discuss the mother in that temple for a moment. …”
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