What are induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs)?

• Reprogrammed adult cells: iPSCs are created in the lab by taking adult cells (often skin or blood cells) and genetically reprogramming them back to an immature, embryo-like state.
• Pluripotency: Like embryonic stem cells, iPSCs are pluripotent. This means they have the exceptional potential to develop into almost any type of cell in the body.

Key differences between induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and embryonic stem cells (ESCs):

1. Source:
   • iPSCs: Derived from adult, specialized cells (e.g., skin, blood).
   • ESCs: Derived from the inner cell mass of a very early stage embryo (blastocyst).
2. Ethical considerations:
   • iPSCs: Using iPSCs avoids the ethical concerns frequently associated with ESCs, as the creation of iPSCs doesn’t require the destruction of an embryo.
   • ESCs: Obtaining ESCs often raises ethical debates due to the involvement of embryos.
3. Patient-specificity:
   • iPSCs: Can be created from a patient’s own cells, offering the potential for perfectly matched tissues in treatments, minimizing the risk of immune rejection.
   • ESCs: Less likely to be a perfect genetic match to the patient, potentially causing issues in therapies.

Use in research and medicine:

Both iPSCs and ESCs hold immense promise for:

• Disease modeling: Studying diseases in a dish by generating specific diseased cell types.
• Drug testing: Testing the effects and safety of new drugs on different cell types.
• Regenerative medicine: Potentially creating healthy cells to replace damaged tissues (for conditions like heart failure, Parkinson’s disease, diabetes, etc.).