Human Embryonic Stem Cells: From Reproductive Medicine to Regenerative Medicine

Abstract

Stem cells are the cells that have the capability to renew themselves and differentiate to the specific cell types.The successful of derivation of human embryonic stem cells (ESCs) in 1998, together with the discovery of reprogramming the human somatic cells into embryonic-like stage, so called “human induced pluripotent stemcells (iPSCs) ” in 2007, dramatically increase the attention of the scientists and the public about the useof human ESCs or iPSCsforboth research and application. Although stem cells can be isolated and identified from several tissue of the human body such as limbal tissue, bone marrow or skin, the powerful of differentiation ability of human ESCs make these cell types a good candidates for cell replacement therapy. Recently, the successful of clinical trials using human ESCs for treating the patients who suffered from macular degeneration, underline the possibility of application of human ESCs for therapeutic purposes. In this review, the general biology of stem cells, source of human ESCs and the potential application of human ESCs were discussed.