Translation of Human-Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells

The prospect of changing the plasticity of terminally differentiated cells toward pluripotency has completely altered the outlook of biomedical research. Human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) provide a new source of therapeutic cells free from the ethical issues or immune barriers of human embryonic stem cells. iPSCs also confer considerable advantages over conventional methods of studying human diseases. Since its advent, iPSC technology has expanded, with 3 major applications: disease modeling; regenerative therapy; and drug discovery. Here we discuss, in a comprehensive manner, the recent advances in iPSC technology in relation to basic, clinical, and population health.