Last update:
21-Apr-2019

In recent years, the use of pluripotent cells in applications of both regenerative medicine and the modeling of many human diseases has been dynamically introduced in the field of science. Human embryonic stem cells (hESC) appear to be a promising sector in the field of medicine, and research on hESC continues today in an intensive manner, although there are several drawbacks to their use, both moral and practical. The revolution in the field came with the discovery in 2006 of Takahashi and Yamanaka, whο showed that it is possible to produce pluripotent cells from fully differentiated cells. These pluripotent cells are called induced pluripotent stem cells, or, as reported in the literature, iPSC. The iPSC appear to be able to overcome some of the drawbacks of hESC, such as the moral barriers governing the use of embryonic stem cells, and the practical problems regarding possible graft rejection during allogenic transplantation. The use of iPSC technology in our times is aimed mainly in two directions; regenerative medicine, where attempts are being made at regeneration of damaged tissues and organs, using iPSC, and, secondly, development of the personalized medicine field, through modeling of human diseases by the use of cells taken directly from the patient. So far, the iPSC research field has been promising, but there are also limitations to the use of iPSC. This review examines the advantages and disadvantages of iPSC and their potential applications in regenerative medicine and the modeling of various diseases.

Key words: Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC), Modeling of diseases, Pluripotency, Regenerative medicine, Reprogramming.