Groundbreaking work in #stemcell development; Japanese researchers have discovered an easy way to turn ordinary cells into multipurpose stem cells that can be used to create any living mammalian cell. They’re calling them STAP cells for Stimulus triggered acquisition of pluripotency. Great news for research since harvesting stem cells is a difficult and costly procedure. With the ability to easily change ordinary cells to a pluripotent stem cell state, research can proceed at a much faster rate and we could see advances in research and human development and care much faster.

It’s a simple procedure–bath cells in a low ph of 5.7. Drop cells in citric acid. Normally this would completely erase everything in the cell, but extraordinarily instead of killing itself, the cell self organizes and is able to be pluripotent–create embryonic cells AND extra embryonic stem cells for placenta. Most stem cells are unable to make both–but these pluripotent cells can.