Table 1 Sources, advantages and disadvantages of the main sources of stem cells
| Â | Differentiation capability | Source | Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Pluripotent | Blastocyst | Pluripotent | Ethical concerns, biomanufacturing issues | |
Multipotent | Fetal/embryonic tissue | Â | Ethical concerns, biomanufacturing issues | |
Adult central nervous system stem cells [7] | Multipotent | Adult central nervous system | Autologous, no ethical concerns | Limited differentiation potential, biomanufacturing issues, require surgical harvest |
Adult mesenchymal stem cells [5] | Multipotent | Adult bone marrow | Autologous, easily obtained, no ethical concerns | Limited differentiation potential, biomanufacturing issues. |
Umbilical cord cells [8] | Multipotent | Umbilical cord | Autologous, no ethical concerns | Limited differentiation potential, biomanufacturing issues |
Induced pluripotent stem cells [6] | Multipotent/ pluripotent | Skin | Autologous, no ethical concerns, potential for pluripotency | Require addition of viral vectors for induced pluripotency, biomanufacturing issues |