The group of DUAN Qingqing claims to have developed a highly efficient and simple chemical method using small molecules to induce pluripotent stem cells from somatic cells, abbreviated as CIP (Chemical Induction of Pluripotency). Somatic cells only need a bath” with two different media in order to rejuvenate somatic cells to the state of stem cells. The procedure takes advantage of the state of an “information center” chromatin inside the nucleus. The sum of the open (1) and closed (0) states of the cell chromatin constitutes a state that determines the fate of the cell, similar to a computer binary “password string,” which “locks” the cell to a specific state.This method is simpler, more efficient, and requires less initial cells than the standard protocol using genetic manipulation of cells. More importantly, many somatic cell types including liver cells are extremely difficult to culture in vitro.”

CAS news release, April 8, 2018