The Mohammed VI Foundation for Science and Health reported its success, for the first time in Morocco, in reprogramming peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS), marking a significant and historic scientific advancement.
According to the newspaper ‘Hespress’, the Mohammed VI Foundation for Science and Health stated that this strategic development paves the way for establishing a national platform for reprogramming and cellular differentiation to serve biomedical research, personalized medicine, and innovative therapies.
Induced pluripotent stem cells, derived from a simple sample, possess two distinctive properties: the ability to differentiate into any type of body cell and the capability of unlimited replication. These advantages make them a revolutionary tool for modeling human diseases from the patient’s own cells, testing the efficacy and safety of new drugs under near-physiological conditions, developing regenerative therapies to repair vital tissues (heart, brain, liver, lungs), and designing new immunotherapy approaches against cancers.
It is noteworthy that induced pluripotent stem cells are currently undergoing promising clinical trials for treating degenerative diseases, retinal disorders, and certain blood diseases. Thanks to this achievement, the Mohammed VI Foundation for Science and Health establishes Morocco’s position as a leading player in the fields of biotechnology and regenerative medicine.
