Development of changing technology efficiently to the cells of the lungs and trachea iPS cells.

That it has developed a technology change efficiently to the cells of the trachea and lung induced pluripotent stem cells of human (iPS cells) , the research team of the U.S. Columbia University announced the U.S. science journal Nature Biotechnology electronic version by the 12th . It is expected that to elucidate the mechanism of the incurable disease of the lungs , or to the development of therapeutic agents , and help to play or lung tissue from iPS cells of patients in the future .Embryonic stem cells and iPS cells for human (ES cells) , the research team working with chemicals and proteins and "Wnt " and " BMP4 " . And succeeded in changing the cells six and basal cells and alveolar epithelial cells to take up oxygen in the lungs , the carbon dioxide emissions .It was also confirmed that not only changed in vitro , cells in the lung that changed in the body of immunodeficient mice is close to the lung cells of adult human .Of the incurable disease of the lungs , the research team noted " idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) " One of the idiopathic interstitial pneumonia . Walls of the alveoli becomes thick , leading to difficulty breathing lung is unlikely bulge hard , but detailed mechanism is unknown . If we elucidated the mechanism by reproducing the IPF technology this leads to the development of therapeutic agents .
I just hope that it will lead to practical use soon .


ヒトの人工多能性幹細胞（iPS細胞）を肺や気管の細胞に効率良く変える技術を開発したと、米コロンビア大の研究チームが12日までに米科学誌ネイチャー・バイオテクノロジー電子版に発表した。肺の難病の仕組みを解明し、治療薬を開発したり、将来は患者のiPS細胞から肺の組織を再生したりするのに役立つと期待される。
　研究チームはヒトのiPS細胞や胚性幹細胞（ES細胞）について、「Wnt」や「BMP4」などのたんぱく質や化学物質を操作。肺で酸素を取り込み、二酸化炭素を排出する肺胞の上皮細胞や基底細胞など6種類の細胞に変えることに成功した。
　試験管内で変えただけでなく、免疫不全マウスの体内で変えた肺の細胞がヒトの大人の肺細胞に近いことも確認した。
　研究チームは肺の難病のうち、特発性間質性肺炎の一つ「特発性肺線維症（IPF）」に注目。肺胞の壁が厚くなり、肺が固く膨らみにくくなって呼吸困難に至るが、詳しい仕組みが不明。今回の技術でIPFを再現して仕組みを解明できれば、治療薬の開発につながる。
　早く実用化につながっていくことを期待するばかりですね。