Modeling Cancer with Pluripotent Stem Cells

The elucidation of cancer pathogenesis has been hindered by limited access to patient samples, tumor heterogeneity, and the lack of reliable model organisms. Characterized by their ability to self-renew indefinitely and differentiate into all adult cell lineages of an organism, pluripotent stem cells (PSCs), including ESCs and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), provide a powerful and unlimited source to generate differentiated cells that can be used to study disease biology, facilitate drug discovery and development, and provide key insights for developing personalized therapies. This article reviews the recent developments and technologies converting PSCs into clinically relevant model systems for cancer research.