Changes

Functionally, adult stem cells are very different from embryonic stem cells.  Whereas embryonic stem cells are omnipotent, and may be coaxed with growth factors into producing any known cell type, adult stem cells are already partially committed to a particular fate and, without genetic manipulation, will only generate a limited number of cell types.  As stated above, this is currently an intensive area of research, but at the present the two are not practically equivalent.

Functionally, adult stem cells are very different from embryonic stem cells.  Whereas embryonic stem cells are omnipotent, and may be coaxed with growth factors into producing any known cell type, adult stem cells are already partially committed to a particular fate and, without genetic manipulation, will only generate a limited number of cell types.  As stated above, this is currently an intensive area of research, but at the present the two are not practically equivalent.

[[Induced pluripotent stem cells]] are fully differentiated somatic cells that have been manipulated, either genetically or with growth factors (often a combination of the two), to become pluripotent stem cells.  These cells still retain some [[epigenetics|epigenetic]] imprinting of their original type--even with the most current techniques.  Mouse models have demonstrated that these cells have a significantly higher tumorigenic potential than transplanted embryonic stem cells.  As such, therapies involving induced pluripotent stem cells are primarily being studied only as options of last resort.  As scientists in the field devise better ways to generate these cells (new techniques are a current area of much research--there have been at least 40 published since 2009), they may become more clinically useful.  Until that happens, induced pluripotent cells cannot substitute for adult or embryonic stem cells in clinical medicine or research.

[[Induced pluripotent stem cells]] are fully differentiated somatic cells that have been manipulated, either genetically or with growth factors (often a combination of the two), to become pluripotent stem cells.  These cells still retain some [[epigenetics|epigenetic]] imprinting of their original type—even with the most current techniques.  Mouse models have demonstrated that these cells have a significantly higher tumorigenic potential than transplanted embryonic stem cells.  As such, therapies involving induced pluripotent stem cells are primarily being studied only as options of last resort.  As scientists in the field devise better ways to generate these cells (new techniques are a current area of much research—there have been at least 40 published since 2009), they may become more clinically useful.  Until that happens, induced pluripotent cells cannot substitute for adult or embryonic stem cells in clinical medicine or research.