Stem Cells and the Basics of Immunology

In this chapter, we expand on the concept of stem cell potency. We cover different degrees of cell stemness, including cell ability to differentiate into specialized cells, i.e., being totipotent, pluripotent, multipotent, or oligopotent. We discuss the promise, the advantages, and the possible shortcomings of using stem cells in tissue engineering and give three examples of detailed differentiation protocols. The second part of the chapter deals with the possibility of tissue-engineered organs being rejected by the recipient’s immune system. Here we briefly overview the main principles of immune rejection and discuss how one can bypass it by using induced pluripotent stem cells.