The potential therapeutic applications of stem cells – such as regenerating damaged tissues or organs – have generated a great deal of interest over the past decade. While these types of applications are exciting, it is a long journey from lab to clinic. The most immediate impact of stem cells on human health will most likely come from their use in the development of new drugs.
The ability to generate stem cells by reprogramming cells from patients’ skin has revolutionised human stem cell research. These cells, known as human induced pluripotent stem cells (hIPSC), can be differentiated into almost any cell type, allowing the opportunity to have a ready source of human cells for testing new therapies.
DefiniGEN, a new spin-out company from the University of Cambridge, has been formed to supply hIPSC-derived cells to the drug discovery and regenerative medicine sectors. The company is based on the research of Dr Ludovic Vallier, Dr Tamir Rashid and Professor Roger Pedersen of the Anne McLaren Laboratory of Regenerative Medicine.
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Image: Differentiation of human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (hIPSC) to functional liver hepatocyte cells
Credit: Ludovic Vallier
Reproduced courtesy of the University of Cambridge
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