pluripotent

adjective

plu·​rip·​o·​tent plu̇-ˈri-pə-tənt How to pronounce pluripotent (audio)
: not fixed as to developmental potentialities
especially : capable of differentiating into one of many cell types
pluripotent stem cells

Examples of pluripotent in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Colossal has derived induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from Asian elephants, the closest living relatives of mammoths, NPR reports. Julia Moore, Peoplemag, 7 Mar. 2024 And now the company says scientists have for the first time created induced pluripotent stem cells for the mammoth's closest living relative: Asian elephants. Rob Stein, NPR, 6 Mar. 2024 Kenai — pronounced key-nigh — is developing therapies that use induced pluripotent stem cells, or iPSCs. Allison Deangelis, STAT, 29 Feb. 2024 In the short window between fertilization and implantation, embryonic stem cells are pluripotent, gifted with the ability to become any cell type. Celia Ford, WIRED, 17 July 2023 These include naive cells, which act like cells from a preimplantation embryo and are more readily incorporated, and primed pluripotent stem cells, which act like postimplantation cells and can’t be incorporated into chimeras at all. Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 10 Nov. 2023 Why Trust Us? For decades, scientists have been able to create stems cells—known as induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells—from somatic cells, such as those found in our skin. Darren Orf, Popular Mechanics, 17 Aug. 2023 Singh says the ability to pick out pluripotent cells from REject cells within the early embryo will be indispensable for researchers studying regenerative medicine, who need to be able to grow different types of body tissues in order to create laboratory models of diseases. Celia Ford, WIRED, 17 July 2023 The development of the organoids field has been made possible by two bioengineering breakthroughs: induced pluripotent stem cells (IPSCs) and 3D cell culturing techniques. IEEE Spectrum, 23 Apr. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pluripotent.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Latin plur-, plus more + English potent

First Known Use

1916, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of pluripotent was in 1916

Dictionary Entries Near pluripotent

Cite this Entry

“Pluripotent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pluripotent. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Medical Definition

pluripotent

adjective
plu·​rip·​o·​tent plu̇-ˈrip-ət-ənt How to pronounce pluripotent (audio)
1
: not fixed as to developmental potentialities
especially : capable of differentiating into one of many cell types
pluripotent stem cells
2
: capable of having more than one effect
pluripotent activity
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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