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Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology 9, 725–729 (1 September 2008) | doi:10.1038/nrm2466

The promise of human induced pluripotent stem cells for research and therapy

Shin-ichi Nishikawa , Robert A. Goldstein & Concepcion R. Nierras

Induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells are human somatic cells that have been reprogrammed to a pluripotent state. There are several hurdles to be overcome before iPS cells can be considered as a potential patient-specific cell therapy, and it will be crucial to characterize the developmental potential of human iPS cell lines. As a research tool, iPS-cell technology provides opportunities to study normal development and to understand reprogramming. iPS cells can have an immediate impact as models for human diseases, including cancer.