What are the risks associated with iPS cell use in humans?
The retroviruses used in the generation of iPSc are associated with cancer because they insert DNA anywhere in a cell’s genome, which could potentially trigger the expression of cancer-causing genes. Another risk associated with iPS cell technology applied to humans is the fact that c-Myc, which is one of the genes used in reprogramming, is a known oncogene whose overexpression could also cause cancer.