Abstract
The stem cell field owes a great deal to the previous work conducted by embryologists
and researchers devoted to reproductive medicine. The time is coming when this emerging
field will pay off in the reproductive sciences by offering new avenues of understanding
gametogenesis and early embryonic development. Human embryonic stem cells are pluripotent
cells that proliferate in vitro while maintaining an undifferentiated state, and they
are capable of differentiating into most cell types under appropriate conditions.
Embryo-friendly approaches have been developed as new methods of obtaining human embryonic
stem cells without destroying the embryo. Somatic stem cells have been identified
and isolated from numerous adult organs and tissues to create a multipotent and autologous
source of cells with established medical indications. Cell reprogramming is now a
scientific fact, and induced pluripotent cells, a new pluripotent cell type, have
been generated by the overexpression of specific genes from a myriad of differentiated
adult cell types. Cancer is now considered a stem cell disease. Cancer stem cells
share numerous features with normal stem cells including hallmarks properties such
as self-renewal and undifferentiation. Therefore, the actual focus of ovarian cancer
research on the cancer stem cell model should generate efficient and personalized
treatment designs to improve treatment efficiency.
Keywords
stem cells - cancer stem cell - microenvironment
