Nuclear Cloning and Direct Reprogramming: The Long and the Short Path to Stockholm

Abstract

This year’s Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to John Gurdon and Shinya Yamanaka for solving key problems of biology. Their work provided fundamental insights into how an egg gives rise to a complex organism consisting of many different cell types and has transformed our understanding of nuclear reprogramming, of embryonic development, and of cellular differentiation. These are issues that have a long history and the reader is referred to a comprehensive review by Graf (2011) on cellular plasticity and a summary of current issues of the reprogramming field by Yamanaka (2012). Here I will give a personal view on how the discoveries of Gurdon and Yamanaka have shaped our understanding of basic mechanisms of development and how stem cells will revolutionize the way we investigate human disease and establish novel treatment strategies.