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Updated: May 20, 2026
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Isolation of Adult Human Dermal Fibroblasts from Abdominal Skin and Generation of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells Using a Non-Integrating Method
Published on: January 19, 2020
The evolving field of induced pluripotency: recent progress and future challenges
Cesar A Sommer1, Gustavo Mostoslavsky
1Section of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine and Center for Regenerative Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts 02118, USA.
Journal of Cellular Physiology
|July 7, 2012
Summary
Generating patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from somatic cells offers new ways to study and treat human disorders. This overview covers iPSC generation strategies, advances, and challenges for research and regenerative medicine.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Research
- Stem Cell Biology
- Regenerative Medicine
Background:
- Patient-specific pluripotent cell lines can be derived from somatic cells using transcription factors.
- Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) are valuable for disease modeling, drug discovery, and regenerative therapies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To provide an overview of current iPSC generation strategies.
- To highlight recent advances in iPSC technology.
- To discuss challenges in utilizing iPSCs for biomedical applications.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on iPSC generation techniques.
- Analysis of recent advancements in reprogramming methodologies.
- Discussion of challenges and future directions in iPSC research.
Main Results:
- Multiple strategies exist for generating iPSCs.
- Significant progress has been made in iPSC generation efficiency and safety.
- Challenges remain in clinical translation and large-scale application.
Conclusions:
- iPSCs represent a powerful tool for understanding and treating human diseases.
- Continued research is needed to overcome current limitations and fully realize the therapeutic potential of iPSCs.
- iPSC technology is crucial for advancing personalized medicine and regenerative therapies.
Related Concept Videos
01:06Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells
Stem cells are undifferentiated cells that divide and produce different cell types. Ordinarily, cells that have differentiated into a specific cell type are terminally differentiated; however, scientists have found a way to reprogram these mature cells so that they dedifferentiate and return to an unspecialized, proliferative state. These cells are pluripotent like embryonic stem cells—able to produce all cell types—and are called induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs).
Somatic cells are...
Somatic cells are...
01:13Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells
Stem cells are undifferentiated cells that divide and produce different types of cells. Ordinarily, cells that have differentiated into a specific cell type are post-mitotic—that is, they no longer divide. However, scientists have found a way to reprogram these mature cells so that they “de-differentiate” and return to an unspecialized, proliferative state. These cells are also pluripotent like embryonic stem cells—able to produce all cell types—and are therefore called induced pluripotent stem...
01:13Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells
Stem cells are undifferentiated cells that divide and produce different types of cells. Ordinarily, cells that have differentiated into a specific cell type are post-mitotic—that is, they no longer divide. However, scientists have found a way to reprogram these mature cells so that they “de-differentiate” and return to an unspecialized, proliferative state. These cells are also pluripotent like embryonic stem cells—able to produce all cell types—and are therefore called induced pluripotent stem...
01:29Somatic to iPS Cell Reprogramming
Reprogramming alters the gene expression in somatic cells, transforming them into induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells over several generations. Scientists can reprogram cells by introducing genes for four transcription factors—Oct4, Sox2, Klf4, and c-Myc (OSKM) by viral or non-viral methods. These factors are also known as Yamanaka factors after Shinya Yamanaka, who first generated iPS cells using mouse skin cells. Yamanaka was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2012 for this...
01:14Maintenance of the ES Cell State
The cells of the blastocyst inner cell mass only remain pluripotent for a short time. This state of pluripotency and self-renewal can be maintained in embryonic stem (ES) cell culture by adding specific chemicals or growth factors to ensure the cells can continue dividing and later differentiate into different cell types. In some cases, the cells are grown on a feeder layer of differentiated cells, which provides the growth factors and extracellular matrix components necessary for stem cell...
01:22iPS Cell Differentiation
The ability of induced pluripotent stem cells or iPSCs to differentiate into most body cell types has stimulated repair and regenerative medicine research over the past few decades. iPSC-derived blood cells, hepatocytes, beta islet cells, cardiomyocytes, neurons, and other cell types can repair injuries or regenerate damaged tissue in diseases such as diabetes and neurodegenerative disorders.