Yamanaka factors

Topic

The Yamanaka factors (Oct3/4, Sox2, Klf4, and c-Myc) are a group of four highly expressed transcription factors capable of reprogramming mature somatic cells back into pluripotent stem cells. Discovered by Japanese researcher Shinya Yamanaka in 2006, this breakthrough allows for the creation of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) without using embryonic tissue, earning Yamanaka the 2012 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.