Individual capacity for repair of DNA damage and potential uses of stem cell lines for clinical applications: a matter of (genomic) integrity

Public and private human stem cell banking institutions are currently hosting hundreds of thousands partially characterized cell populations, including a significant number of human pluripotent stem cell lines. To be considered for use in clinical applications, stem cell preparations must undergo rigorous testing in order to ensure safety for the recipient. With development of the methodologies for in vitro derivation, ex vivo maintenance and expansion of stem cells and targeted differentiation of multipotent and pluripotent stem cells, many novel issues were added to the list of safety concerns of cell and tissue preparations. These issues are related to the potential changes that may occur in the course of in vitro propagation of stem cells and cell-derived products, how these changes may affect the quality of the preparation; and the potential effects on the recipient. Only a limited number of studies about the role of subtle variations of individual capacity for repair of genotoxic damage in maintenance in vitro of human stem cells are currently available. Nevertheless, the assessment of individual repair capacity may play a crucial role in the safety of use of human stem cells, as it constitutes a major factor in the risk of occurrence of genomic alterations that may seriously compromise the quality of the product. This article reviews the available data about the role of individual capacity for DNA damage repair in different human stem cell types and the potential adverse effects that may occur with the use of cell preparations with inferior repair capacity.