The tumorigenicity of human embryonic and induced pluripotent stem cells

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

Abstract

The unique abilities of human pluripotent stem cells to self-renew and to differentiate into cells of the three germ layers make them an invaluable tool for the future of regenerative medicine. However, the same properties also make them tumorigenic, and therefore hinder their clinical application. Hence, the tumorigenicity of human embryonic stem cells (HESCs) has been extensively studied. Until recently, it was assumed that human induced pluripotent stem cells (HiPSCs) would behave like their embryonic counterparts in respect to their tumorigenicity. However, a rapidly accumulating body of evidence suggests that there are important genetic and epigenetic differences between these two cell types, which seem to influence their tumorigenicity.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)268-277
Number of pages10
JournalNature Reviews Cancer
Volume11
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - Apr 2011

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Oncology
  • Cancer Research

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