Human pluripotent stem cells: tools for regenerative medicine

Human embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells, together denoted as pluripotent stem cells have opened up unprecedented opportunities for developments in human healthcare over the past 20 years. Although much about the properties and behaviour of these cells required to underpin their applications has been discovered over this time, a number of issues remain. This brief review considers the history of these developments and some of the underlying biology, pointing out some of the problems still to be resolved, particularly in relation to their genetic stability and possible malignancy.