BRAINCAKEAdvantages of iPS Cells
Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells) offer a way round many of the ethical problems of embryonic stem cells. Shinya Yamanaka shared the 2012 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for discovering how to make them.
Ethical advantages
• No embryo is created or destroyed.
• No donated eggs are needed, so there is no risk to egg donors.
• They are made from the patient's own cells, such as skin cells, so they are genetically identical to the patient, including their mitochondrial DNA, and should not be rejected.
• Cells can be collected with simple, consented procedures such as a skin biopsy.
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Key terms in this lesson
- oncogene
- A gene that, when mutated or overexpressed, can drive a cell towards becoming cancerous.
- epigenetic
- Relating to changes that affect how genes are expressed without changing the DNA base sequence itself.
More in Gene Expression
- Diseases that Could Be Treated
- Type I Diabetes
- Damaged Nerves
- Organs for Transplants
- Stem Cell Success
- Ethical Questions
- Using Embryonic Stem Cells
- Advantages of Therapeutic Cloning
All 39 lessons in Gene Expression · All Edexcel A-level Biology topics