Chemical transdifferentiation of somatic cells to neural cells: a systematic review.

Introduction: Transdifferentiation is the conversion of a specific somatic cell into another cell type, bypassing a transient pluripotent state. This implies a faster method to generate cells of interest with the additional benefit of reduced tumorigenic risk for clinical use.

Objective: We describe protocols that use small molecules as direct conversion inducers, without the need for exogenous factors, to evaluate the potential of cell transdifferentiation for pharmacological and clinical applications.