Parathyroid Gland Generation from Pluripotent Stem Cells

Patients with permanent hypoparathyroidism require lifelong treatment. Current replacement therapies sometimes have adverse effects (e.g., hypercalciuria and chronic kidney disease). Generating parathyroid glands (PTGs) from the patient’s own induced pluripotent stem cells (PSCs), with transplantation of these PTGs, would be an effective treatment option. Multiple methods for generating PTGs from PSCs have been reported. One major trend is <i>in vitro</i> differentiation of PSCs into PTGs. Another is <i>in vivo</i> generation of PSC-derived PTGs by injecting PSCs into PTG-deficient embryos. This review discusses current achievements and challenges in present and future PTG regenerative medicine.