Induced pluripotent stem cells derived from amniotic fluid stem cells

Abstract Pluripotent stem cells have the ability to differentiate down cell lineages of all three germ layers and self-renew indefinitely. Cellular reprogramming or pluripotent stem cell induction is reverting fully differentiated cells back to pluripotency [induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs)], through the reactivation of the endogenous pluripotency pathway. The discovery of cellular reprogramming to pluripotency provides significant promise as the derivatives of iPSCs have potential applications in regenerative medicine, drug screening, and disease modeling. Since the establishment of iPSCs, multiple reprogramming methods have been developed. However, a number of technical hurdles, such as reprogramming efficiency, remain to be overcome before translation of iPSC-derivates to the clinic. The amniotic fluid contains fetal cells, such as amniotic fluid stem (AFS) cells, which have great potential in regenerative medicine because of their low immunogenicity. It has been reported that human AFS cells are more rapidly and efficiently reprogrammed into iPSCs when compared to adult cells, making them ideal candidates for developing further methods. This chapter will review the methods used to reprogram AFS cells.