Current Progress and Potential Practical Application for Human Pluripotent Stem Cells

Pluripotent stem cells are able to give rise to all cell types of the organism. There are two sources for human pluripotent stem cells: embryonic stem cells (ESCs) derived from surplus blastocysts created for in vitro fertilization and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) generated by reprogramming of somatic cells. ESCs have been an area of intense research during the past decade, and two clinical trials have been recently approved. iPSCs were created only recently, and most of the research has been focused on the iPSC generation protocols and investigation of mechanisms of direct reprogramming. The iPSC technology makes possible to derive pluripotent stem cells from any patient. However, there are a number of hurdles to be overcome before iPSCs will find a niche in practice. In this review, we discuss differences and similarities of the two pluripotent cell types and assess prospects for application of these cells in biomedicine.