The 2012 Nobel prize in Physiology and Medicine was awarded for the Essay

The 2012 Nobel prize in Physiology and Medicine was awarded for the work leading to the find of induced pluripotent stem cells. Why was this break-through so important - Essay ExampleThe discovery that it is possible to reprogram somatic cells to return to their earlier pluripotent state has, however, offered a mood around some of these ethical concerns. These reprogrammed somatic cells are referred to as induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS) and they direct remarkable similarities embryonic stem cells. In addition, they also beat a new and exciting research area, especially since it has the potential to transform fields such as regenerative medicine and inducemental biology (Yildirim, 2013 p16).ES and iPS cells show remarkable similarities in that they are self renewing, which means that they are able to divide and indefinitely produce other copies of themselves (Yildirim, 2013 p42). Therefore, iPS cells can be used for the pedigree of all types of specialized cells in the lab under conditions that are precisely controlled. Just like ES cells, iPS cells can aid in the understanding of how pluripotent cells develop into specialized cells and, in the future, they may provide unlimited supplies of tissues and cells to replace diseased ones in patients with diseases that are currently incurable. However, unlike ES cells, generation of iPS cells is not reliant on cells from embryos created earlier (Yildirim, 2013 p42). This means that the biggest barrier to stem cell research, i.e. the ethics of using live embryos for research, can be circumvented.In the development of disease therapy, the close important step involves understanding the exact workings of the disease, as well the exact aspects of bodily functions that go wrong. In order to do this, tissues and cells are inevitable for study, especially those that are diseased. However, it is very difficult to obtain genuine cells from the brain of a Parkinsons disease patient, particularly in the earlier sta ges during which the patient is unaware of their symptoms (Yildirim, 2013 p47).