Because iPS cells can be made into just about any cell type in the body, they have great promise for cell therapies. One major problem, however, is that not all reprogramming cells successfully become iPS cells, resulting in an unwanted cell mixture. Further, when differentiating iPS cells, some cells are only partially differentiated, again leaving an unwanted cell mixture. To extract the desired cell types, CiRA researchers report in Science Advances new synthetic RNA technology consisting of ON and OFF switches. These switches control specific genes to kill contaminating cells while leaving desired cells unscathed at rates superior to standard techniques.
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Source: Phys.org