PrimeGen says the main obstacle to using “reprogrammed” human stem cells–the danger that they might turn cancerous– has been solved.

It claims to have converted specialized adult human cells to induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells) by using methods that are more efficient–making a thousand times more colonies of reprogrammed cells–and less likely to trigger cancer than methods deployed previously.

Rather than using retroviruses to ferry the genes into the cells, PrimeGen used carbon-based nanoparticles coated with DNA that codes for the same four reprogramming genes used by other science teams.

A key test of pluripotency has not yet been done on PrimeGen’s cells.

See Also Scientists Show Stem Cells Don’t Cause Cancer