Cell Biological Characteristics of Adult Stem Cells

ABSTRACT

Adult stem cells and embryonic stem cells are two counterparts of stem cells that can be used for the regeneration of organs and for cell therapy. While each stem cell has its own characteristics, recent findings on the plasticity of adult stem cells are expanding the horizons for cell therapy using these stem cells. In addition, adult stem cells are less prone to the transformation process or inappropriate ectopic differentiation. These characteristics of adult stem cells make them an attractive source of cell therapy and thus being actively exploited for their possible use in cell therapeutic treatment of many intractable diseases. However, many questions remain for the nature or mechanisms of plasticity in adult stem cells, and the task of inducing self-renewal for adult stem cell expansion and engineering has not been accomplished yet. Thus, for successful application of adult stem cells for cell therapy, further understanding on the nature of adult stem cells is necessary, which is critical for the development of high-performance cell therapy and to overcome current limitations in adult stem cell therapies.