Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) may take a back seat to human
somatic progenitor cells for regenerative medicine applications.
Scientists are becoming more adept at reprogramming committed
stem cells back to pluripotence and then nudging them toward
development as the desired specialized cell type. In practice,
such cells could be expanded in cell culture and then used to
repair or replace damaged tissues in the body. The use of
somatic progenitor cells could potentially avoid issues that
arise with hESCs, including the need for immunosuppressive drugs
as well as the risk of neoplasia and phenotypic or genomic
instability. Scientists recently showed that somatic progenitor
cells can differentiate in animals to produce functional
improvement without unwanted effects. Stem cells are
pluripotent, undifferentiated cells capable of self-renewal
through numerous cycles of cell division or proliferation. Stem
cells differentiate into progenitor cells, which are more
developmentally committed to a cell line than s