Immune response in mammalian species against progenitor cell types including induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs)

Stem cells may be very useful tool for regenerative medicine. They are able to repair any tissue in a human body and cure any damage caused by injury, sickness or aging. But at first, we have to deal with problems, which are connected with their usage - especially their immunogenicity. This bachelor thesis is focused on immunogenicity of embryonal (ESC), induced pluripotent (iPSC) and adult stem cells (ASC). Tissues derived from ESC are in vivo described as strongly immunogenic, although they seem to be immunosuppressive in vitro. Another danger of their usage is their tumorigenic potential. There also exist ethical issues connected with their usage. iPSC were supposed to be a good replacement for ESC, because no immunological nor ethical problems were expected. Surprisingly, they were described as immunogenic, too, even in autologous environment. These cells were also described as tumorigenic; this is the main reason for now why they cannot be used for the replacement therapy. Immunogenicity, so as tumorigenicity of iPSC may be a consequence of their dedifferentiation from somatic back to stem cells. ASC are the only stem cells, which are already used for the replacement therapy (transplantation of bone marrow). Some of them are described as immunosuppressive or tumor-suppressive, other are..