Production of induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells. iPS cells are produced by treating mature cells, such as fibroblasts, with genes that ‘dedifferentiate' them to a pluripotent stage, similar to an embryonic stem cell. Viral vectors, such as retroviruses, are generally used for gene transfer. The transformed cells become morphologically and biochemically similar to pluripotent stem cells, with the advantage of representing autologous cells in therapeutic applications.