Algorithm Devised for Reprogramming One Type of Cell into Any Other
Scientists in the U.S. have developed an algorithm that can predict the optimum method for transforming any cell type directly into any other specified cell type, without the need to generate induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) as intermediates. The cell transformation algorithm is based on a mathematical control model, which the researchers have dubbed data-guided control (DGC). It exploits the wealth of data that we already have on cellular activity, genome structure, and gene expression and regulation to predict which transcription factors to apply, and when in the cell cycle. The researchers, at the University of Michigan, the University of Maryland, and Harvard University, suggest that the work could represent a framework for cell reprogramming in areas including regenerative medicine and cancer treatment. "Cells in our body always self-specialize," notes Indika Rajapakse, Ph.D., a University of Michigan (U-M) bioinformatics and mathematics researcher who is senior author of the ...
Original Article: Algorithm Devised for Reprogramming One Type of Cell into Any Other
