Advantages and disadvantages of adult and embryonic stem cells.
| . | Advantages . | Disadvantages . |
|---|---|---|
| Human ES cells | Can make virtually any tissue (in theory) | Allogeneic only (currently) |
| Some tissues “easy” to generate (e.g., cardiac) | Teratoma formation? | |
| Can be propagated indefinitely | Differentiation conditions to be established | |
| Amenable to genetic manipulation? | Some tissues difficult to generate (blood) | |
| Ethical issues | ||
| Adult stem cells | Autologous | Most have limited self-renewal |
| Many types and sources | Differentiation outside lineage? (maybe) | |
| Some types have extensive self-renewal potential | Autologous (use more cumbersome and expensive) | |
| Not tumorigenic | ||
| Default differentiation | ||
| Amenable to gene transfer | ||
| Potential delivery methods attractive | ||
| No ethical issues |
| . | Advantages . | Disadvantages . |
|---|---|---|
| Human ES cells | Can make virtually any tissue (in theory) | Allogeneic only (currently) |
| Some tissues “easy” to generate (e.g., cardiac) | Teratoma formation? | |
| Can be propagated indefinitely | Differentiation conditions to be established | |
| Amenable to genetic manipulation? | Some tissues difficult to generate (blood) | |
| Ethical issues | ||
| Adult stem cells | Autologous | Most have limited self-renewal |
| Many types and sources | Differentiation outside lineage? (maybe) | |
| Some types have extensive self-renewal potential | Autologous (use more cumbersome and expensive) | |
| Not tumorigenic | ||
| Default differentiation | ||
| Amenable to gene transfer | ||
| Potential delivery methods attractive | ||
| No ethical issues |