Scientists Reprogram Clearly Defined Adult Cells Into Pluripotent Stem Cells -- Directly And Without Viruses, Max Planck Institute Study

ScienceDaily (July 8, 2009) — Kinarm Ko and Hans Schöler's team at the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine in Münster have succeeded for the first time in culturing a clearly defined cell type from the testis of adult mice and converting these cells into pluripotent stem cells without introduced genes, viruses or reprogramming proteins. These stem cells have the capacity to generate all types of body tissue. The culture conditions alone were the crucial factor behind the success of the reprogramming process.