It was big news when scientists announced they had figured out a way to reprogram adult skin cells to behave similarly to embryonic stem cells. Not only did the new technique hold promise for treating disease, but it sidestepped the ethical questions some has about using stem cells from human fetuses.
Some years later, cures for diseases are still some distance away, but advances are still being made, including here in Wisconsin. One of the area's leading researchers will use a multi-million dollar federal grant to continue work in converting skin cells to liver cells.
Doctor Stephen Duncan is Director of the Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Biology program at the Medical College of Wisconsin and lead researcher on the NIH grant stopped by Lake Effect to talk about the grant.
