Year 1

The goal of this project is to develop and bank safe, well-characterized pluripotent stem cell lines that can be used to study and potentially ameliorate human diseases, and that are not limited by technical, ethical or immunological considerations. To that end, we proposed to establish protocols for generation of human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC) that would not involve viral vector integration, and that would be compatible with Good Manufacturing Processes (GMP) standards. To establish baseline characteristics of hiPSCs, we performed a complete molecular characterization of all existing hiPSCs in comparison to human embryonic stem cells (hESCs). We found that all hiPSC lines created to date, regardless of the method by which they were reprogrammed, shared a common gene expression signature, distinct from that of hESCs. The functional role of this gene expression signature is still unclear, but any lines that are generated under the guise of this grant will be subjected to a similar analysis to set the framework by which these new lines are functionally characterized. Our efforts to develop new strategies for the production of safe iPS cells have yielded many new cell lines generated by various techniques, all of which are safer than the standard retroviral protocol. We are currently expanding many of the hiPSCs lines generated and will soon demonstrate whether their gene expression profile, differentiation capability, and genomic stability make them suitable for banking in our iPSC core facility. Once fully characterized, these cells will be available from our bank for other investigators.

For hiPSC technology to be useful clinically, the procedures to derive these cells must be robust enough that iPSC can be obtained from the majority of donors. To determine the versatility of generation of iPS cells, we have now derived hiPSCs from commercially obtained fibroblasts derived from people of different ages (newborn through 66 years old) as well as from different races (Caucasian and mixed race). We are currently evaluating medium preparations that will be suitable for GMP-level use. Future work will ascertain the best current system for obtaining hiPSC, and establish GMP-compliant methodologies.