Tiny ("Tiny" in English) is the name of the first rodent born in China from stem cells from the skin of an adult mouse .
Professors Qi Zhou of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Fanyi Zeng of Jiao Tong University in Shanghai used induced pluripotent skin cells (iPS) , which were reprogrammed to act similar to embryonic stem cells. From them, Chinese scientists developed 37 batches of stem cells, from which 27 healthy mice were born. Some of them reproduced naturally after a week, giving rise to 200 second generation offspring.
Embryonic stem cells, taken from embryos that are just days old, have the power to transform into any type of cell, and in mice they can be implanted in the maternal uterus to generate offspring. The new experiment, published in the journal Nature , shows that this versatility can also be achieved in adult stem cells. And it implies that it is theoretically possible to clone an individual using cells found in a person's skin, although the researchers say that is not their objective. "This research will be used to understand the causes of diseases and will lead to new treatments," Fanyi Zeng said. "Would it be unethical to try to use iPS cells for human reproduction ?
