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Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPSCs) are a type of pluripotent stem cells generated by reprogramming an adult somatic cell genome to the stage of a pluripotent stem cell in vitro by inducing a forced expression of specific transcription factors that are important for the maintenance of pluripotency. The iPSCs seem to be very similar to Embryonic Stem Cells (ESCs) in terms of morphology, cell surface markers and gene expression levels, but recent studies have demonstrated some differences between the two cell types. However, iPSCs might have potential application in regenerative medicine, transplantation, drug testing, disease modelling, and avoidance of tissue rejection and with less ethical concern than ESCs. This paper aims to present the most important characteristics of iPSCs which have therapeutic significance.

Introduction. Induced pluripotent stem cells are ethically much more acceptable than embryonic stem cells. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the knowledge on these cells among the general population and medical professionals, because this may influence further research. Material and Methods. We conducted a survey to assess knowledge on induced pluripotent stem cells among the general population and medical workers. The inclusion criteria were age over 18 years and the ability to read and write in Serbian. The survey was conducted via email and printed materials using a validated questionnaire for evaluation of awareness, knowledge, and attitudes towards donation, storage, and application of induced pluripotent stem cells. The collected data were entered into an Excel database, and complete statistical analysis was performed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 26.0. Results. The rate of correct answers among health workers ranged from 17.5% to 67.1%, and among the general population from 16.4% to 49.4%. The average number of correct answers per respondent in the population of health workers was 6, while in the general population it was 4, which is statistically significantly lower. Conclusion. The research results showed that healthcare workers have a higher level of knowledge on induced pluripotent stem cells than members of the general population, but the level of knowledge can be influenced by the level of education, availability of information, socioeconomic status, ideology, and conservative attitudes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The discovery of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPSCs) opened the possibilities for reprogramming adult somatic cells back to a pluripotent state in vitro by inducing a forced expression of specific transcription factors. Thus, iPSCs might have potential application in regenerative medicine, transplantation, avoidance of tissue rejection, disease modeling, and drug testing. Because of apparent ethical issues connected with donation and derivation of biomaterials, iPSCs are considered as a research alternative to ethically highly disputed Embryonic Stem Cells (ESCs). Objective: The aim of this paper was to describe the development of a questionnaire for evaluating information, knowledge, and attitudes on donation, storage, and application of iPSCs (i.e., the QIPSC). We performed a prospective qualitative study based on the development, validation and reliability testing of the QIPSC. The study included 122 respondents and the final version of the QIPSC with 34 items. The reliability analysis for part of information and knowledge of respondents according to iPSCs was then performed with the questions included in this two-component model and obtained a Cronbach's alpha value of 0.783 and 0.870, respectively. It has been shown that the range of correct answers to questions in part of knowledge of respondents according to iPSCs was from 17.2-63.1%. The results of our study show that the QIPSC was a unique, reliable, and valid questionnaire for assessing the level of information, knowledge, and attitudes on donation, storage, and application of iPSCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]