Communications of the ACM
Cells Reprogrammed on the Computer
Scientists at the University of Luxembourg have developed a means of reprogramming living cells via computer.
Credit: University of Luxembourg
Scientists at the University of Luxembourg have developed computer-based instructions for reprogramming cells.
The model makes predictions on which differentiated cells would be efficiently changed into completely different cell types.
"Our theoretical model first queries databases where vast amounts of information on gene actions and their effects are stored and then identifies the genes that maintain the stability of differentiated cells," says Isaac Crespo at the Luxembourg Center for Systems Biomedicine. "Working from the appropriate records, the model suggests which genes in the starting cells need to be switched on and off again, and when, in order to change them into a different cell type."
Crespo says the model has made very accurate predictions in the lab. The team says the model could be of enormous benefit for regenerative medicine, potentially enabling doctors, for example, to reprogram a patient's own healthy skin cells and develop them into nerve cells when nerve tissue becomes diseased, and treat conditions such as Parkinson's disease.
From University of Luxembourg
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