Dipping cells in acidic bath could make stem cells

The discovery that somatic mammalian cells can be epigenetically reprogrammed to induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) through the exogenous expression of the Oct4, Sox2, Klf4 and c-Myc (OSKM) has demonstrated a new way for cell-replacement therapy in regenerative medicine. Stem cells have the remarkable potential to develop into many different cell types, essentially without limit to replenish other cells as long as the person or animal is still alive. Just last week, two papers published in Nature, describing a surprisingly simple method to turn mature cells into embryonic-like stem cells by culturing cells in a low pH medium.

• 1
  Somatic mammalian cells can be epigenetically reprogrammed to induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) through the exogenous expression of the Oct4, Sox2, Klf4 and c-Myc (OSKM).
• 2
  Mature cells can be turned into embryonic-like stem cells by culturing cells in a low pH medium.
• 3
  When a dozen of cell types, including those from brain, skin, lung, and liver were exposed to stress, including low pH, about 20% of the cells that survived from stress reprogrammed to multipotent stem cells without introduction of any exogenous genes.