Cellular reprogramming - Turning the clock back: Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, 2012

Cellular reprogramming involves the conversion of a specialized cell into a cell which possesses properties similar to an embryonic stem cell. The Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine, 2012, was awarded jointly to two researchers, Sir John Gurdon and Shinya Yamanaka, for their creative and brilliant discovery involving the conversion of a mature differentiated cell into an immature cell, capable of giving rise to all the cell types in the body. This article discusses the manifold implications of this discovery. © 2013 Indian Academy of Sciences.