Table 1.
Characteristics of different sources of stem cells for their use in research and therapy.
| ESC | ASC | iPSC | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accessibility of stem cells | Very limited* | Unlimited | Limited* |
| Stem cell expansion potential | Indefinite | Low/High** | Indefinite |
| Ethical concerns related to stem cells | High | No concerns | Low |
| Risk of GVHD | High | Low/No risk*** | No risk |
| Risk of cancer formation | High | No risk | High |
| Immuno‐compatibility | No match | High/Full match*** | Full match |
| Differentiation potential | Pluripotent | Multipotent | Pluripotent |
*Access to ESC is limited by low number of human embryos. Also there are limitations in efficient productions of ESC and iPSC.
**Expansion potential of ACS is limited due to spontaneous differentiation of cell in vitro depending on their age and origin (e.g. Lineage‐committed neural, hepatic or pancreatic stem cells have a very limited proliferative capacity while umbilical cord‐derived mesenchymal stem cells have very high proliferative capacity).
***Allogenic ASC immuno‐compatibility depends on HLA match of the cells donor. In case of autologous ASC (e.g. cord blood or bone marrow) the HLA match is full.