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Engineering Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells for COPD Therapy

Summary

Researchers at Oklahoma State havedeveloped a method that can induce 90% differentiation of iPSCs or MSCs intoAECs (type II) under stimulation of proper growth factors and growing on anappropriate matrix. These cells expressed type II cell markers surfactantprotein C and ABCA3, secrete lung surfactant in response to lung surfactantsecretagogues and trans-differentiate into type I AECs. Inaddition, the researchers have demonstrated that the AEC cells attenuated lung injuryin a mouse model of COPD. The potential uses for these cells includecellular-based therapies, drug screening, disease modeling and pulmonary research.

Technology Benefits

·        90% differentiation efficiency of iPSCs or MSCs into AECs

Technology Application

·        Therapeutic for pulmonary diseases, including COPD·        Drug discovery·        Disease modeling·        Pulmonary research·        Stem cell research

Detailed Technology Description

None

*Abstract

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*Background

The discovery of mesenchymal stem cells(MSCs) and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) have resulted in a plethoraof opportunities to produce tissue-specific cell types for disease modeling, drugscreening and treatments for diseases. For pulmonary diseases such as COPD,stem cells have been a proposed strategy to repair damaged lungs. However, thesestudies have yielded controversial results. Additional research hasdemonstrated that transplantation of alveolar epithelial cells (AECs) holdgreat promise to repair damaged lungs for pulmonary diseases, including COPD.However, the conversion of stem cells to AECs has proven to be difficult withextremely low differentiation percentages. This major barrier has hamperedimplementation of AEC cells for use in therapies, disease modeling, drugscreening and other areas of pulmonary research. Given that over 300 milliondollars of NIH money is awarded each year to pulmonary researchers, and thatthe pulmonary drug and drug delivery market is estimated to reach 43.9 billiondollars by 2018, developing methods to efficiently produce AECs would bebeneficial.

*Stage of Development

These cells are developed and ready tobe used

Country/Region

USA