In a step closer to a “regenerative” approach to repairing damaged tissue, scientists have made two recent breakthroughs.

Kyoto UninversityHarvard University: Pancreatic cells that secrete digestive enzymes have been converted directly into insulin-producing beta cells, using retroviruses carrying the genes for fournine transcription factors (proteins that regulate the activity of other genes by binding to DNA).

Children’s Hospital BostonNew York Neural Stem Cell Institute: Epithelial cells from the back of the eye have been coaxed into becoming a versatile, new type of stem cell.

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