Induced pluripotent stem cells: advances to applications

Abstract

Induced pluripotent stem cell (iPS) technology has enriched the armamentarium of regenerative medicine by introducing autologous pluripotent progenitor pools bioengineered from ordinary somatic tissue. Through nuclear reprogramming, patient-specific iPS cells have been derived and validated. Optimizing iPS-based methodology will ensure robust applications across discovery science, offering opportunities for the development of personalized diagnostics and targeted therapeutics. Here, we highlight the process of nuclear reprogramming of somatic tissues that, when forced to ectopically express stemness factors, are converted into bona fide pluripotent stem cells. Bioengineered stem cells acquire the genuine ability to generate replacement tissues for a wide-spectrum of diseased conditions, and have so far demonstrated therapeutic benefit upon transplantation in model systems of sickle cell anemia, Parkinson’s disease, hemophilia A, and ischemic heart disease. The field of regenerative medicine is therefore primed to adopt and incorporate iPS cell-based advancements as a next generation stem cell platforms.

Keywords:

• iPS
• regenerative medicine
• individualized medicine
• stem cell therapy

Acknowledgments

Supported by National Institutes of Health (R01HL083439, T32HL007111, R01HL085208, R56AI074363), American Heart Association, American Society for Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Caja Madrid Graduate Program, Marriott Individualized Medicine Program, Marriott Heart Disease Research Program, and Mayo Clinic.

Disclosures

The authors have no conflicts of interest that are directly relevant to the content of this review.