The Generation, Exploitation and Future of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells

Authors

Jacob Steenwyk, Clark UniversityFollow

Keywords

Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells, Embryonic Stem Cells, Pluripotency, Somatic Cell Nucleus

Abstract

The foundational advancements of John Gurdon and Shinya Yamanaka have improved understanding of dedifferen- tiation of cells to a pluripotent state. The seminal discovery established a novel system to study disease pathogenesis, drug screening, and toxicity, as well as sprouted the new field of regenerative medicine. In this article, the method- ology to obtain dedifferentiated cells, known as induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, subsequent validation, and application of which are reviewed. The experiments investigated here aim to demonstrate the capacity of iPS cells to replace the ethically-gray human embryonic cells by developing human livers and viable, healthy animals. It is con- cluded that the reported methods pave the way for a bright future of iPS cell application in both basic and applied sciences.

Recommended Citation

Steenwyk, Jacob (2015) "The Generation, Exploitation and Future of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells," Scholarly Undergraduate Research Journal at Clark (SURJ): Vol. 1, Article 11.
Available at: https://commons.clarku.edu/surj/vol1/iss1/11