Cellular Reprogramming Leads 2008 Science List of Top 10 Breakthroughs

In its annual list of the year's Top 10 scientific breakthroughs, the journal Science has given top honors to research that produced "made-to-order" cell lines by reprogramming cells from ill patients. These cell lines, and the techniques for producing them, offer long-sought tools for understanding—and perhaps someday curing—difficult-to-study diseases such as Parkinson's disease and type 1 diabetes.

Science and its publisher, AAAS, the nonprofit science society, now salute cellular reprogramming as the Breakthrough of the Year and recognize nine more of the year's most significant scientific accomplishments. The Top 10 list appears in a special feature in the journal's 19 December 2008 issue.

"When Science's writers and editors set out to pick this year's biggest advances, we looked for research that answers major questions about how the universe works and that paves the way for future discoveries. Our top choice, cellular reprogramming, opened a new field of biology almost overnight and holds out hope of life-saving medical advances," said Deputy News Editor Robert Coontz.

To learn more about the winning breakthrough and others in the Top 10, read the full story.