Converting one type of cell to another—for example, a skin cell to a neuron—can be done through a process that requires the skin cell to be induced into a "pluripotent" stem cell, then differentiated into a neuron.

A new technique developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology helps convert skin cells into neurons without needing to transform them first into stem cells. As demonstrated in mouse cells, this method makes it easier and more efficient to produce large-scale quantities of neurons.