Investigation Into the Potential Prospects of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells

Abstract

Cell cultures and stem cell studies have revolutionized the field of biotechnology and regenerative medicine by opening various medicine sectors that were once closed due to lack of information and technology. The potent ability of stem cells has proven to be really significant in the field of medical research for treating degenerative diseases and disorders, thus developing novel therapeutics. Induced pluripotent stem cells are created by reprogramming adult cells to behave like an embryonic-like pluripotent state cell. The reprogramming of cells is done by introducing specific combinations or sets of genes into the cells using viral vectors. This in turn resets the genetic program and reprograms the cells in a way that the cells can differentiate into any type of cell in the human body. Induced pluripotent stem cells have the ability to self-renew and differentiate into all cell types, also including gametes. This type of stem cell can be cultured in lab, and have been proven to renew themselves indefinitely. These cells can be reprogrammed from cells obtained from any healthy person or patient. Stem cells are considered as a valuable resource in the field of medicine but pluripotent stem cells in nature are embryonic stem cells, so their study and isolation posed multiple ethical barriers to be overcome, and inducing pluripotent nature in adult cells has proven to be a solution to overcome those barriers. Induced pluripotent stem cells are considered to be the key for regenerative medicine as their potent ability can be manipulated to replace any diseased or damaged tissues. The authors have discussed the current status of induced pluripotent stem cells and their potential future prospects in this paper. There are also a lot of ethical and legal challenges and opportunities that must be overcome to fully exploit the potential of stem cells. Overall, the aim of this paper is to shed light on the significance of the study and development of stem cells and its research in the field of medicine, and its potential to formulate newer therapies and therapeutics. The authors tend to provide an overview of stem cell research and hope to inspire further research and development in this area to generate significant results in novel and effective stem-cell based therapies.