Induced pluripotent stem cells (also known as
iPS cells or
iPSCs) are a type of
pluripotent stem cell that can be generated directly from adult cells. The iPSC technology was pioneered by
Shinya Yamanaka’s lab in
Kyoto,
Japan, who showed in 2006 that the introduction of four specific genes encoding
transcription factors could convert adult cells into pluripotent stem cells. He was awarded the 2012 Nobel Prize along with Sir
John Gurdon "for the discovery that mature cells can be reprogrammed to become pluripotent."