BioCentury
ARTICLE | Tools & Techniques

Small molecules vs teratomas

February 21, 2013 8:00 AM UTC

Researchers at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Roche have identified small molecules that prevented human pluripotent stem cells from forming teratomas in mice following transplantation.1 The molecules could be useful for reducing the tumorigenicity risk of stem cell-derived cell therapies.

Cell therapies derived from stem cells can be produced by differentiating embryonic stem cells (ESCs) or induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells into cell types unique to the diseased tissue. However, that differentiation process may also leave behind residual undifferentiated cells, which can develop into a type of tumor known as a teratoma.2...