The achievements of embryonic stem (ES) cells and induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells provide new routes for biological research. However, the problems of immunological rejection, teratoma formation and low efficiency limit the further application. Recently, taking advantage of the systems for iPS cell derivation and traditional induction technologies, scientists induced terminally differentiated cells into functional cells such as cardiomyocytes, neurons and hepatocyte-like cells. These inspiring progresses boost the research on cell differentiation, reprogramming and epigenetics, providing new direction for regenerative medicine studies.