Source: Bloomberg News
Date: May 29, 2008
Summary:
Bloomberg News reports researchers have created stem cells with a genetic mutation for sickle cell anemia:
" Researchers for the first time say they've made stem cells with a disease-causing mutation -- in this case, sickle cell anemia, a genetic blood disorder that affects mostly people of African descent. ...Scientists from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine used a two-year-old method for giving adult skin cells the unlimited potential of those from a human embryo. To create the mutation, they modified the technique by adding an extra gene to a four-gene combination that reprogrammed the cells to their more primitive state. The extra gene boosted the efficiency of the process as much as 70-fold, making more stem cells in less time."
