Stem cell scientists have hit a gusher, says the New York Times, with proof by two groups in Japan and the US that skin cells can be reprogrammed to function like embryonic stem cells. And now that the ethical and political logjam has broken up, money should start flowing in. But finding an ethical, abundant raw material is not enough. Scientists also have to find how to turn these new cells into useful material for therapies and disease research.

Initially these cells, called induced pluripotent stem cells (IPS cells) will be used to study “diseases in a dish” and then develop drugs not just to treat them but to prevent them in patients. “This is a whole new way of thinking about how we might investigate human disease,” says Kenneth S. Zaret, of the Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia. But this will still take years. Scientists already have many tools, such as imaging systems, knockout mice and genome studies and progress has been slow.

Patient-specific therapies are even trickier, as they will be time-consuming and expensive. As currently envisaged, every patient will need to have their cells genetically modified, multiplied, and differentiated. Growing organs will require a three-dimensional structure, as well. Quality control will be rigorous, long and costly.

One issue that worries scientists is whether the teams which created these new cells will file patents on the process which could stifle research. The American group, at the University of Wisconsin, has already requested patents. A technology transfer company associated with the same university has a patent on the process for creating human embryonic stem cells which many feel is very onerous. ~ New York Times, Nov 27; Center for Genetics and Society, Nov 20; The Niche