title: Induced pluripotent stem cells and their implication for regenerative medicine.
abstract: In 2006 Yamanaka's group showed that stem cells with properties similar to embryonic stem cells could be generated from mouse fibroblasts by introducing four genes. These cells were termed induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). Because iPSCs avoid many of ethical concerns associated with the use of embryonic material, they have great potential in cell-based regenerative medicine. They are suitable also for other various purposes, including disease modelling, personalized cell therapy, drug or toxicity screening and basic research. Moreover, in the future, there might become possible to generate organs for human transplantation. Despite these progresses, several studies have raised the concern for genetic and epigenetic abnormalities of iPSCs that could contribute to immunogenicity of some cells differentiated from iPSCs. Recent methodological improvements are increasing the ease and efficacy of reprogramming, and reducing the genomic modification. However, to minimize or eliminate genetic alternations in the derived iPSC line creation, factor-free human iPSCs are necessary. In this review we discuss recent possibilities of using iPSCs for clinical applications and new advances in field of their reprogramming methods. The main goal of present article was to review the current knowledge about iPSCs and to discuss their potential for regenerative medicine.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University, Sasinkova 4, 811 08, Bratislava, Slovakia.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Csobonyeiova
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Polak
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Koller
authors.forename: Lubos
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Danisovic
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000628:therapy*; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000502:physiology*; D064987:Cell- and Tissue-Based Therapy; D006801:Humans; D057026:Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology*; D009422:Nervous System Diseases / Q000628:therapy*; D044968:Regenerative Medicine