Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 4, 2026

Author Spotlight: Reprogramming Cancer Cells to iPSCs to Study Disease Progression and Treatment Targets
07:08

Author Spotlight: Reprogramming Cancer Cells to iPSCs to Study Disease Progression and Treatment Targets

Published on: February 2, 2024

1.7K

Reprogramming and carcinogenesis--parallels and distinctions

Agata M Wasik1, Jerzy Grabarek2, Aleksandar Pantovic3

  • 1Division of Pathology, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital, Huddinge, Stockholm, Sweden.

International Review of Cell and Molecular Biology
|January 14, 2014
PubMed

Insights

Induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, generated using Yamanaka factors, offer an ethical source for regenerative medicine. This review covers iPS creation, reprogramming factors, stem cell similarities to cancer cells, and biomaterial interactions.

Area of Science:

  • Regenerative Medicine
  • Stem Cell Biology
  • Biomaterials Science

Background:

  • Recent advancements in regenerative medicine include cellular reprogramming and biomaterial development.
  • Induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, generated via Yamanaka factors, provide an abundant and ethical stem cell source.
  • Stemness-associated transcription factors are implicated in both stem cell maintenance and cancer.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review methods for creating iPS cells.
  • To discuss factors influencing reprogramming efficiency.
  • To explore similarities between cancer stem cells and other stem cell types.
  • To examine biomaterial-tissue interactions and adverse effects in regenerative medicine.

Main Methods:

  • Review of literature on iPS cell generation techniques.
  • Analysis of factors affecting reprogramming efficiency.
  • Comparative study of cancer stem cells and other stem cell populations.
  • Examination of biomaterial-tissue interactions and mitigation strategies.

Main Results:

  • The Nobel prize-winning discovery of reprogramming has enabled ethical stem cell generation.
  • Yamanaka factors (Oct3/4, Sox2, c-Myc, Klf4) are key to converting differentiated cells to pluripotency.
  • Overexpression of stemness factors in cancer cells suggests potential prognostic applications.
  • Biomaterial interactions with tissues can elicit adverse reactions that require mitigation.

Conclusions:

  • iPS cell technology offers significant potential for tissue replacement and organ development.
  • Understanding reprogramming efficiency and stem cell biology is crucial for advancing regenerative therapies.
  • Biomaterial selection and design must consider potential adverse tissue reactions for successful clinical translation.
Keywords:
BioglassSenescenceTransdifferentiationYamanaka factoriPS cellsp53

More Related Videos

Chemical-Induced Skin Carcinogenesis Model Using Dimethylbenz[a]Anthracene and 12-O-Tetradecanoyl Phorbol-13-Acetate DMBA-TPA04:12

Chemical-Induced Skin Carcinogenesis Model Using Dimethylbenz[a]Anthracene and 12-O-Tetradecanoyl Phorbol-13-Acetate DMBA-TPA

Published on: December 19, 2019

14.4K
Tractable In Vivo Reprogramming of Tumor Cells to Type 1 Conventional Dendritic Cell-like Cells10:04

Tractable In Vivo Reprogramming of Tumor Cells to Type 1 Conventional Dendritic Cell-like Cells

Published on: August 1, 2025

1.9K

Related Concept Videos

Mutagenicity and Carcinogenicity01:25

Mutagenicity and Carcinogenicity

Mutagenicity and carcinogenicity refer to the ability of drugs to cause genetic defects and induce cancer, respectively. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classifies agents into four groups based on their carcinogenic potential. Group 1 agents are known human carcinogens; group 2A agents are probably carcinogenic to humans; group 3 agents lack data to support their role in carcinogenesis; and group 4 includes agents for which data support that they are not likely to be...
2.0K
Somatic to iPS Cell Reprogramming01:29

Somatic 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...
2.1K
Introduction to Nuclear Reprogramming01:14

Introduction to Nuclear Reprogramming

Nuclear reprogramming is the process of switching gene expression of one cell type to that of another cell type, usually from a differentiated cell state to an undifferentiated cell state. Differentiation occurs during processes such as development and morphogenesis, tissue regeneration, and malignancy. Cells can also be artificially induced to reprogram their gene expression by techniques such as nuclear transfer, induced pluripotency, and cell fusion. Such techniques have many applications in...
1.3K
Methods of Nuclear Reprogramming01:24

Methods of Nuclear Reprogramming

Nuclear reprogramming is a process of transforming one cell type into an unrelated cell type by epigenetic changes that alter the cell’s original gene expression pattern. Such epigenetic changes force cells to express a different set of genes, which play a significant role in inducing transformation into other cell types. Nuclear reprogramming offers applications in reproductive cloning for livestock propagation and regenerative medicine — developing patient-specific cells for...
1.4K
Cellular Adaptation IV: Dysplasia and Metaplasia01:24

Cellular Adaptation IV: Dysplasia and Metaplasia

DysplasiaDysplasia refers to abnormal changes in the size, shape, and organization of mature cells, characterized by pleomorphism, nuclear abnormalities, and increased mitotic activity. It commonly affects epithelial tissues, including the cervix, gastrointestinal tract, respiratory mucosa, and endometrium. Although it may occur alongside hyperplasia, dysplasia is not a true adaptive response but a preneoplastic change with potential to progress to cancer.When confined above the basement...
49
Cancer-Critical Genes I: Proto-oncogenes01:33

Cancer-Critical Genes I: Proto-oncogenes

Genes usually encode proteins necessary for the proper functioning of a healthy cell. Mutations can often cause changes to the gene expression pattern, thereby altering the phenotype.
When the function of certain critical genes, especially those involved in cell cycle regulation and cell growth signaling cascades, gets disrupted, it upsets the cell cycle progression. Such cells with unchecked cell cycles start proliferating uncontrollably and eventually develop into tumors.
Such genes that act...
9.1K