Pluripotent human stem cells as novel tools in drug discovery and toxicity testing

Improved technologies are urgently needed to develop effective and safe new drugs in a cost-efficient manner. Cell-based assays have many advantages in drug research, particularly because these assays can be adapted in a high-throughput format. In addition, technological advances in the areas of instrumentation and automation are providing expanding opportunities for high-content analyses. However, in cell-based research, none of these systems is particularly useful unless the cells that are being evaluated are clinically relevant. Pluripotent human stem cells are expected to revolutionize the accessibility to a variety of human cell types. The possibility to propagate pluripotent human stem cells and to subsequently differentiate these cells into desired target cell types will provide a stable supply of cells for a range of applications in drug discovery and toxicity testing. This feature discusses some of the research opportunities for pluripotent human stem cells.