Welcome to the RegMedNet spotlight on iPSCs!

Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) are arguably one of the hottest topics within regenerative medicine. The first generation of iPSCs 10 years ago marked a huge milestone in the field, leading to great progress from disease modeling to development of new, personalized therapeutic approaches for numerous conditions. Key advantages include the potential low-cost manufacture of personalized medicines, omitting the need to use embryonic or fetal stem cells, efficiency of genetic manipulation compared with somatic cells and providing a source for cells that may otherwise have been difficult to obtain.

However, only one human trial using iPSCs has been carried out to date: in September 2014, a Japanese research team became the world’s first to commence a clinical trial using iPSCs, with autologous transplantation of iPSC-derived retinal cells. The trial was halted owing to safety concerns, but is set to recommence in 2017 – but it is key to note that this first patient was treated only 7 years after iPSCs were first discovered by Yamanaka, reflecting the speed that the iPSC field is progressing.

The spotlight on iPSCs will be a 2-month focus on iPSCs and regenerative medicine featuring a variety of content types, including journal articles, exclusive interviews and editorials, and a survey, infographic and panel discussion. It will discuss key topics and issues in the field, such as the current challenges in the production of these cells, with a focus on consistency, safety and efficacy. It will also discuss the potential clinical applications of iPSCs for regenerative medicine applications, and how these therapies are going to evolve and change healthcare in the coming years.

We hope you enjoy the spotlight and welcome any queries and feedback! And don't forget, you are welcome to share your own news, research and opinion on this topic through your own posts or comments.

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Features

Webinars

• Panel discussion on iPSC production and application
• Regenerative medicine using iPSCs: setting your research up for success
• Genome engineering to introduce a fluorescent reporter into human pluripotent stem cells to study cardiac disease
• Reprogramming and iPSC culture considerations for translational research
• Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells) derived from patients with known genetic disease for modeling disease progression in vitro

Editorials

• Many Kinds of Pluripotent Stem Cells, Which are Better for What?
• A timeline of stem cells
• 5 Tips to Increase the Reproducibility of MSC and iPSC Differentiation
• Is Banking of HLA-typed iPS Cell Lines for Cell-Based Therapy Practical, Sustainable and Commercially Feasible?
• Synopsis of REGenableMED Policy Briefing: Manufacturing and regenerative medicine
• 10 Tips for Preventing Mycoplasma Contamination
• 3 Ways to Verify iPS Cells Using a Single Well
• An Introduction to the Evolution of Human Pluripotent Stem Cell Culture Systems
• Suspension Culture Medium for human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs)
• Why use Standardized Kits when Differentiating Pluripotent Stem Cells?
• Achieve up to 2-fold faster recovery following gene editing in stem cells
• iPSC production survey infographic

Interviews

• Speaking with Masayo Takahashi: Targeting age-related macular degeneration in the first iPSC clinical trial
• Improving the cell culture workflow: an interview with Daniel Wehrhahn
• CIRM grantees reflect on ten years of iPSCs
• Are cell culture systems keeping up with the needs of researchers?: an interview with Yvonne Mica

Survey

• Tell us about your iPSC production – survey now closed

Videos

• Why reprogram with synthetic RNA?

Journal articles

Regenerative Medicine

• A review of induced pluripotent stem cell, direct conversion by trans-differentiation, direct reprogramming and oligodendrocyte differentiation
• Development of a global network of induced pluripotent stem cell haplobanks
• Studying the lay of the land: views and experiences of professionals in the translational pluripotent stem cell field
• Points to consider in the development of seed stocks of pluripotent stem cells for clinical applications: International Stem Cell Banking Initiative

Epigenomics

• Transcriptional and epigenetic mechanisms of cellular reprogramming to induced pluripotency

News

• Introducing StemFlex Medium - Designed for better everything
• New, faster stem cell reprogramming and gene-correction method
• Nerve and blood vessel regeneration using 3D bioprinting technologies
• Genetic study finds induced pluripotent stem cell reprogramming unlikely to cause cancer
• RNA-generated and gene-edited iPSCs could provide safer cell therapies
• Large-scale iPSC production system aimed at clinical therapy funded by NIH
• Fujifilm seeking allogeneic iPSC-derived mesenchymal stem cell product development via Cynata investment
• Novel probe-drug conjugate offers hope to stem cell research
• Allogeneic iPSCs to treat macular degeneration – clinical trial given green light
• Novel matrix scaffold holds promise for regenerative medicine
• Study shows that induced pluripotent stem cells can rejuvenate blood stem cells