At Children's Hospital Boston, stem cell scientist George Q. Daley, MD, PhD, led his team in creating 10 lines of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells), which are mature body cells that are reprogrammed to look and function like embryonic stem cells.

One of these lines was created from the cells of patients with Huntington disease. Studying these iPS cells in the lab will give scientists a chance to learn more about how diabetes develops and find new approaches to treating it.

In addition to disease modeling, researchers around the country are looking into how stem cells can differentiate into nerve cells for transplantation, or produce special chemicals that can protect the existing nerve tissue.

Spotlight

• Research in inflammation

  At Children’s Hospital Boston, one research group’s work with Lou Gehrig’s disease is providing doctors clues that may also help them understand Huntington disease. Check out this article to learn more.

• Cellular reprogramming to create iPS cells

  Cellular reprogramming
  to create iPS cells was named Breakthrough of the Year for 2008 by Science magazine. For more information on Children’s Hospital Boston disease-specific lines of iPS cells, check out this news release and feature story.