Random versus deterministic input into stem cell lineage choice
"Everything ... depends on these and only on these: A set of fixed, deterministic laws. A purely random set of accidents." -- Marvin Minsky
Cancer stem cells are capable of initiating and sustaining a tumor. Current cancer therapies may fail, leaving patients prone to recurrence because the cancer stem cells have not been eradicated.
Nuclear reprogramming demonstrates the potential for reversability in cellular differentiation.