Table 1.

Key properties of each stem cell type.

Stem cell	Key properties
Embryonic stem cell	Derived from the blastocyst stage early mammalian embryos and has the ability to differentiate into any cell type and propagate
Induced pluripotent stem cell	A type of pluripotent stem cell that can be generated directly from adult cells; classic four specific genes encoding transcription factors (Oct4, Sox2, cMyc, and Klf) could convert adult cells into iPSCs, holding great promise in the field of regenerative medicine because of indefinite propagation
Mesenchymal stem cell	Multipotent stromal cells that can differentiate into a variety of cell types including osteoblasts, chondrocytes, myocytes, and adipocytes
Adult stem cell	Undifferentiated cells, which are found throughout the body after development, can divide or self-renew indefinitely, and generate all the cell types of the organ from which they originate
Cancer stem cell	Cancer cells that possess the ability to give rise to all cell types found in particular cancer samples and can generate tumors through the stem cell processes of self-renewal and differentiation into multiple cell types