Renal stem cell reprogramming: Prospects in regenerative medicine

Figure 1 Renal cell reprogramming methods. (Red) Traditional reprogramming involving the use of transcription factors or miRNAs to generate pluripotent stem cells; (Purple) partial reprogramming with transcription factors to obtain multipotent progenitors; (Blue) directed differentiation into cells with a specific phenotype by treating induced pluripotent stem cells with small molecules. These newly reprogrammed/differentiated cells can then be used therapeutically to replace lost cell types within the injured kidney.

Figure 2 Challenges faced when developing induced pluripotent stem cell-based therapies. Many issues still have to be overcome before any effective cell therapies can be used.