The ever improving technology to generate induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) has increased their potential
use as novel candidates for disease modeling, drug screening, regenerative medicine and cell therapy. Scientists
can derive iPSCs from the skin, blood, various other cell sources from affected patients and then convert
them into the cell types involved in the patientÂ’s disease. This process could allow researchers to study the
development of a disease in a petridish, with the advantage of having a potentially endless supply of new
cells. Ultimately, the goal of scientists as well as pharmaceutical companies is to use these petridish models
to better understand the disease process and identify novel drugs to treat the disease. The result of this
promising field may be the more rapid development of drugs from which millions could benefit. Because
pluripotent cells are capable of generating any type of tissue in the body, the application of iPSCs therapy to
treat various diseases. This technique also offers the possibility of repairing disease-causing genetic mutations
before reintroducing the new cells, an approach that has been used with adult stem cells to treat leukemia
and lymphoma. Patient-specific iPSC-derived cellular transplantation should also avoid the immune response
since these cells are autologous. This review focuses on the applications of iPSCs with special respect to
updates of drug discovery, personalized medicine and cell therapy.
Key words: Keywords: Induced pluripotent stem cell; Drug discovery; Disease modeling; Precision personalized
medicine.
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