Table 1 Summary of some clinically relevant stem cell types and properties
From: Managing the potential and pitfalls during clinical translation of emerging stem cell therapies
Stem cell categories | Examples of specific stem cell types | Stem cell sources | Properties/Challenges |
|---|---|---|---|
Pluripotent stem cells | Embryonic stem cells (ESCs) Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) | Surplus human IVF blastocysts (ESCs) Reprogrammed somatic cells (iPSCs) | Can produce any cell in the body (ESCs, iPSCs) |
Unlimited self-renewal capacity in vitro (ESCs, iPSCs) | |||
Difficult to generate pure populations of mature cells with current culture conditions (ESCs, iPSCs) | |||
Perceived ethical issues with some community groups (ESCs) | |||
Can be used for autologous (iPSC) or allogenic (ESC, iPSC) treatment | |||
Tissue-specific stem cells | Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) Skin stem cells (SSCs) Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) | Bone marrow (HSCs, MSCs) Peripheral blood (HSCs) | Normally produce only cells from the particular tissue in which they are found |
Skin (SSCs) | Typically have limited self-renewal and expansion capacity in vitro with current culture conditions | ||
Fat (MSCs) | |||
Cartilage (MSCs) | |||
Difficult to generate pure populations of mature cells with current culture conditions | |||
Can be used for autologous or allogenic treatment |