Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 11, 2026

10:24
Transfecting and Nucleofecting Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells
Published on: October 5, 2011
22.0K
Induced pluripotent stem cells in reproductive medicine
Takeshi Teramura1,2, John Frampton3
1Institute of Advanced Clinical Medicine Kinki University Faculty of Medicine 377-2 Osaka-sayama Osaka Japan.
Reproductive Medicine and Biology
|April 28, 2018
Summary
New stem cell technologies offer hope for infertility caused by germ cell absence or childhood cancer treatments. Scientists are exploring in vitro germ cell production from patient somatic cells to restore fertility and understand development.
Area of Science:
- Reproductive Medicine
- Developmental Biology
- Stem Cell Biology
Background:
- Severe infertility often results from congenital absence of germ cells or gonadotoxic treatments.
- Current reproductive medicine lacks effective treatments for these specific infertility cases.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review current approaches for generating germ cells from pluripotent stem cells.
- To provide foundational information on induced pluripotency and germ cell development.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on stem cell technologies and germ cell differentiation.
- Discussion of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) derived from somatic cells.
- Exploration of in vitro methods for germ cell production.
Main Results:
- Stem cell technologies, including iPSC generation, show potential for creating patient-specific germ cells.
- In vitro germ cell production from somatic cells may offer a future fertility restoration solution.
- These technologies aid in understanding human germ cell development.
Conclusions:
- In vitro germ cell generation from pluripotent stem cells presents a promising avenue for treating severe infertility.
- Further research into these technologies could lead to novel therapeutic strategies.
- Understanding germ cell development mechanisms is crucial for advancing reproductive medicine.
Related Concept Videos
Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells
28.1K
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...
28.1K
Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells
5.6K
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...
Somatic...
5.6K
Embryonic Stem Cells
32.6K
Embryonic stem (ES) cells are undifferentiated pluripotent cells, meaning they can produce any cell type in the body. This gives them tremendous potential in science and medicine since they can generate specific cell types for use in research or to replace body cells lost due to damage or disease.
32.6K
Reproductive Cloning
32.8K
Reproductive cloning is the process of producing a genetically identical copy—a clone—of an entire organism. While clones can be produced by splitting an early embryo—similar to what happens naturally with identical twins—cloning of adult animals is usually done by a process called somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT).
Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer
In SCNT, an egg cell is taken from an animal and its nucleus is removed, creating an enucleated egg. Then a somatic...
Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer
In SCNT, an egg cell is taken from an animal and its nucleus is removed, creating an enucleated egg. Then a somatic...
32.8K
Adult Stem Cells
33.9K
Stem cells are undifferentiated cells that divide and produce more stem cells or progenitor cells that differentiate into mature, specialized cell types. All the cells in the body are generated from stem cells in the early embryo, but small populations of stem cells are also present in many adult tissues including the bone marrow, brain, skin, and gut. These adult stem cells typically produce the various cell types found in that tissue—to replace cells that are damaged or to continuously...
33.9K
Asexual Reproduction
37.5K
Asexual reproduction allows plants to reproduce without growing flowers, attracting pollinators, or dispersing seeds. Offspring are genetically identical to the parent and produced without the fusion of male and female gametes.
37.5K

