title: Induction of pluripotency by defined factors.
abstract: The "reversion of cell fate from differentiated states back into totipotent or pluripotent states" has been an interest of many scientists for a long time. With the help of knowledge accumulated by those scientists, we succeeded in converting somatic cells to a pluripotent cell lineage by the forced expression of defined factors. These established induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells have similar features to embryonic stem (ES) cells, including pluripotency and immortality. The iPS cell technology provides unprecedented opportunities for regenerative medicine and drug discovery.
authors.affiliation: Center for iPS Cell Research and Application (CiRA), Kyoto University.
authors.forename: Koji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tanabe
authors.forename: Kazutoshi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: Shinya
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yamanaka
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D065150:Cellular Reprogramming / Q000187:drug effects; D055808:Drug Discovery; D006801:Humans; D057026:Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D044968:Regenerative Medicine