Researchers at the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCLA have published a study demonstrating how specialized proteins are able to change the identity, or cellular characteristics, of skin cells and create induced pluripotent stem cells, which have the ability to turn into any cell type in the body. This research, led by senior authors Kathrin Plath and Jason Ernst, could influence the creation of healthy tissues to cure disease.