Open AccessHuman pluripotent stem cells: From biology to cell therapy
Author(s) -
Jean-Marie Ramirez,
Boqin Qiang,
Marilyne Dijon-Grinand,
Saïd Assou,
Sabine GerbalChaloin,
S. Hamamah,
John De Vos
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
world journal of stem cells
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.907
H-Index - 18
ISSN - 1948-0210
DOI - 10.4252/wjsc.v2.i2.24
Subject(s) - induced pluripotent stem cell , embryonic stem cell , regenerative medicine , stem cell , biology , cell therapy , microbiology and biotechnology , computational biology , transcriptome , human induced pluripotent stem cells , gene , genetics , gene expression
Human pluripotent stem cells (PSCs), encompassing embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells, proliferate extensively and differentiate into virtually any desired cell type. PSCs endow regenerative medicine with an unlimited source of replacement cells suitable for human therapy. Several hurdles must be carefully addressed in PSC research before these theoretical possibilities are translated into clinical applications. These obstacles are: (1) cell proliferation; (2) cell differentiation; (3) genetic integrity; (4) allogenicity; and (5) ethical issues. We discuss these issues and underline the fact that the answers to these questions lie in a better understanding of the biology of PSCs. To contribute to this aim, we have developed a free online expression atlas, Amazonia!, that displays for each human gene a virtual northern blot for PSC samples and adult tissues (http://www.amazonia.transcriptome.eu).