Simple protocol for assessing maturation of HPCs from induced pluripotent stem cells

New Rochelle, NY, August 13, 2019-Researchers have developed a guide to help labs standardize the production of mature hepatic-like cells (HPCs) from stem cells and easily compare gene expression of HPCs to actual human liver tissue. This moderately high throughput protocol can enable a relatively quick assessment of the efficacy of stem cell differentiation and help guide the optimization of differentiation conditions in regenerative medicine applications. The protocol and its implications are published in Stem Cells and Development, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. Click here to read the full-text article for free on the Stem Cells and Development website.

“Guide to the Assessment of Mature Liver Gene Expression in Stem Cell-Derived Hepatocytes” was coauthored by Stephen Strom, Karolinska Institutet (Stockholm, Sweden) and Alejandro Soto-Gutierrez, University of Pittsburgh (PA), and colleagues from Karolinska Institutet, Royan Institute for Stem Cell Biology (Tehran, Iran), and University of Pittsburgh. The researchers used real time-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (rt-qPCR) to determine the mRNA expression of more than 60 genes expressed in fetal and mature human liver samples, normalized to an internal control. They measured gene expression in iPCs produced in their own lab and in those purchased from commercial labs. Genes evaluated included those for liver-specific plasma proteins, cytochrome P450 enzymes, transporters, multi-drug resistant proteins, and the genes requires for pluripotency and the ability of iPCs to differentiate into different cell types.

Graham C. Parker, PhD, Editor-in-Chief of Stem Cells and Development and The Carman and Ann Adams Department of Pediatrics, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI states: “The ability to direct the differentiation of a stem cell population to a target mature cell type and demonstrate the persistence and validity of that achievement is still beyond the skill of most stem cell biologists, and, more worryingly, the field continues to tolerate the assumption that a given paper has achieved this without proof. In their landmark paper, Stephen Strom and colleagues provide a benchmark technique for other laboratories to compare their stem cell derived hepatocyte-like cells to actual human liver samples.”

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Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institutes of Health under Award Numbers DK099257 and DK117881. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

About the Journal

Stem Cells and Development is an authoritative peer-reviewed journal published 24 times per year in print and online. The Journal is dedicated to communication and objective analysis of developments in the biology, characteristics, and therapeutic utility of stem cells, especially those of the hematopoietic system. A complete table of contents and free sample issue may be viewed on the Stem Cells and Development website.

About the Publisher

Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers is a privately held, fully integrated media company known for establishing authoritative peer-reviewed journals in many promising areas of science and biomedical research, including Cellular Reprogramming, Tissue Engineering, and Human Gene Therapy. Its biotechnology trade magazine, GEN (Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News), was the first in its field and is today the industry’s most widely read publication worldwide. A complete list of the firm’s 80 journals, books, and newsmagazines is available on the Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers website.