A Turkish researcher based in the United States has developed a method that could eventually allow scientists to produce stem cells without relying on human embryos. The work by Dr. Arif Kocabas, an assistant professor at Michigan State University, appeared in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and could have implications for treating conditions such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and infertility.
The study used DNA chip technology to analyze thousands of genes in healthy human egg cells donated by volunteers at a fertility clinic in Chile. Oocytes were examined within minutes of retrieval, and their gene-expression profiles were compared against a reference sample drawn from a range of normal human tissues. Bioinformatic software then filtered out genes shared with non-ovarian tissues.
The analysis identified 5,331 significantly up-regulated transcripts and 7,074 significantly down-regulated transcripts in the oocyte. Cross-referencing those results with data from mouse oocytes and both human and mouse embryonic stem cells yielded a core group of 66 transcripts. Of the up-regulated sequences, 1,430 remain of unknown function.
Kocabas described the findings as preliminary, saying "some of these genes have great mystery." Scientists noted the research would require additional time before any clinical applications become possible.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in October 2006, in its own words.