Can induced pluripotent stem cells be used to generate useful Parkinsons disease cell models?
The demonstration that forced expression of only a handful of genes can ‘reprogram’ adult human skin cells into induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells (with properties of embryonic stem cells) has drastically altered the landscape of the stem cell field. Recent work showing that such iPS cells can be derived from people exhibiting a variety of diseases, including Parkinson’s disease, provides an opportunity not only for future cell replacement but also to develop ‘disease models in a dish’. However, whether such cell lines for PD will truly reveal disease-related phenotypes has yet to be clearly demonstrated.
