Pluripotent Stem Cells, Teratoma

A benign tumor called a teratoma consists of several different types of tissues derived from all three germ layers (ecto-, meso- and endoderm; e.g., the hair, bone, and intestine) in various stages of maturation that lack organization. Because a teratoma contains specialized cells as such, the cellular ability to grow into a teratoma is a hallmark of cellular pluripotency. However, this cellular ability negatively impacts the application of pluripotent stem cells to a cell-based therapy. This article presents a survey of the biology of a teratoma.