A recent report by researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, shows that a type of nerve cell can be made out of ordinary skin cells.

Motor neurons were made out of induced pluripotent stem cells ( iPS cells), a type of cell made from ordinary skin cells that resembles human embryonic stem cells.

Motor neurons enable the contraction of muscles. The ability to make new motor neurons might help treat diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, (ALS).

Neurons will be attached to muscle cells to see if this will cause contractions. It’s anticipated that the end result will be using a skin sample from a patient to generate a tissue transplant, or treating genetic diseases by building a library of cell types from healthy donors.