Abstract

Implementation of iPS Cell Technology in Disease Research and Drug Discovery

Dominic Hussey, Senior Account Manager, Cellular Dynamics International Inc

A major challenge in disease research and drug discovery is modelling human biology in physiologically relevant and predictive in vitro systems. Human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology allows for the generation of virtually any cell type of the human body in unlimited quantities from a donor. This technology also enables access to human disease models which have been shown to recapitulate the native human phenotypes in vitro. The functional relevance of human iPSC-derived cells in research and drug discovery programs is being demonstrated by a rapidly growing body of literature. Here, we present case study examples of induced, engineered, and innate disease models generated by the production of iPSC-derived cell types environmentally stimulated to elicit a disease phenotype, genetically modified to introduce a disease mutation, and from patient-derived material, respectively.