Figure 3. . Overview of various stem cells in the body.

Embryonic stem cells can be derived from embryos from eggs fertilized in vitro. Adult stem cells (multipotent) are undifferentiated cells which are found among specialized cells in specific areas of adult tissues, referred to as the ‘stem cell niche’. Induced pluripotent stem cells can be derived from adult cells by genetic reprogramming to produce a pluripotent state. Pluripotent cells such as embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells can be used to give rise to all cell types of the body and multipotent (adult stem cells) cells give rise to all cell types of a particular tissue or organ.

Adapted with permission from [97] under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC-BY).