UCLA stem cell scientists have reprogrammed human skin cells into cells with the same unlimited properties as embryonic stem cells, without using embryos or eggs. Led by scientists Kathrin Plath and William Lowry, UCLA researchers used genetic alteration to turn back the clock on human skin cells and create cells that are nearly identical to human embryonic stem cells, which have the ability to become every cell type found in the human body. Four regulator genes were used to create the cells, which are called induced pluripotent stem cells, or iPS cells.
