CAMBRIDGE, Mass., July 31, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — The United States Patent and Trademark Office today granted Factor Bioscience the first patent covering methods for reprogramming cells using RNA, a technology with wide-ranging applications in biological research and personalized medicine. The patented methods can transform patient skin cells into stem cells more rapidly, efficiently, and safely than previous techniques.

“Reprogramming is an amazing process, when it works,” explains co-inventor Dr. Christopher Rohde, Chief Operating Officer and Director of High-Throughput Technologies. “However, previous methods were burdened by cumbersome protocols, poor reliability, and woeful inefficiency. Our RNA-reprogramming technology overcomes all of these limitations while being faster and safer than the best available techniques.”