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There is an urgent need for new and advanced approaches to modeling the pathological mechanisms of complex human neurological disorders. This is underscored by the decline in pharmaceutical research and development efficiency resulting in a relative decrease in new drug launches in the last several decades. Induced pluripotent stem cells represent a new tool to overcome many of the shortcomings of conventional methods,enabling live human neural cell modeling of complex conditions relating to aberrant neurodevelopment,such as schizophrenia,epilepsy and autism as well as age-associated neurodegeneration. This review considers the current status of induced pluripotent stem cell-based modeling of neurological disorders,canvassing proven and putative advantages,current constraints,and future prospects of next-generation culture systems for biomedical research and translation. View Publication

Hypothalamic neurons orchestrate many essential physiological and behavioral processes via secreted neuropeptides,and are relevant to human diseases such as obesity,narcolepsy and infertility. We report the differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells into many of the major types of neuropeptidergic hypothalamic neurons,including those producing pro-opiolemelanocortin,agouti-related peptide,hypocretin/orexin,melanin-concentrating hormone,oxytocin,arginine vasopressin,corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) or thyrotropin-releasing hormone. Hypothalamic neurons can be generated using a 'self-patterning' strategy that yields a broad array of cell types,or via a more reproducible directed differentiation approach. Stem cell-derived human hypothalamic neurons share characteristic morphological properties and gene expression patterns with their counterparts in vivo,and are able to integrate into the mouse brain. These neurons could form the basis of cellular models,chemical screens or cellular therapies to study and treat common human diseases. View Publication

Human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) are a promising cell source with pluripotency and capacity to differentiate into all human somatic cell types. Designing simple and safe biomaterials with an innate ability to induce osteoblastic lineage from hPSCs is desirable to realize their clinical adoption in bone regenerative medicine. To address the issue,here we developed a fully defined synthetic peptides-decorated two dimensional (2D) microenvironment assisted via polydopamine (pDA) chemistry and subsequent carboxymethyl chitosan (CMC) grafting to enhance the culture and osteogenic potential of hPSCs in vitro. The hPSCs including human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) and human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) were successfully cultured on the peptides-decorated surface without Matrigel- and ECM protein-coating and underwent promoted osteogenic differentiation in vitro,determined from the alkaline phosphate (ALP) activity,gene expression,and protein production as well as calcium deposit amount. It was found that directed osteogenic differentiation of hPSCs could be achieved through a peptides-decorated niche. This chemical-defined and safe 2D microenvironment which facilitates proliferation and osteo-differentiation of hPSCs,not only helps to accelerate the translational perspectives of hPSCs,but also provides tissue-specific functions such as directing stem cell differentiation commitment,having great potential in bone tissue engineering and presenting new avenues for bone regenerative medicine. View Publication

Reprogramming somatic cells into a pluripotent state involves the overexpression of transcription factors leading to a series of changes that end in the formation of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). These iPSCs have a wide range of potential uses from drug testing and in vitro disease modelling to personalized cell therapies for patients. While viral methods for reprogramming factor delivery have been traditionally preferred due to their high efficiency,it is now possible to generate iPSCs using nonviral methods at similar efficiencies. We developed a robust reprogramming strategy that combines episomal plasmids and the use of commercially available animal free reagents that can be easily adapted for the GMP manufacture of clinical grade cells. View Publication

Human embryonic stem cells hold great promise for future biomedical applications such as disease modeling and regenerative medicine. However,these cells are notoriously difficult to culture and are refractory to common means of genetic manipulation,thereby limiting their range of applications. In this protocol,we present an easy and robust method of gene repression in human embryonic stem cells using lipofection of small interfering RNA (siRNA). View Publication

Naïve T cells require B7/CD28 costimulation in order to be fully activated. Attempts to block this pathway have been effective in preventing unwanted immune reactions. As B7 blockade might also affect Treg cells and interfere with negative signaling through membrane CTLA-4 on effector T (Teff) cells,its immune-modulatory effects are potentially more complex. Here,we used the mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS),EAE,to study the effect of B7 blockade. An effective therapy for MS patients has to interfere with ongoing inflammation,and therefore we injected CTLA-4Ig at day 7 and 9 after immunization,when myelin-reactive T cells have been primed and start migrating toward the CNS. Surprisingly,B7 blockade exacerbated disease signs and resulted in more severe CNS inflammation and demyelination,and was associated with an enhanced production of the inflammatory cytokines IL-17 and IFN-γ. Importantly,CTLA-4Ig treatment resulted in a transient reduction of Ki67 and CTLA-4 expression and function of peripheral Treg cells. Taken together,B7 blockade at a particular stage of the autoimmune response can result in the suppression of Treg cells,leading to a more severe disease. View Publication

The generation of personalized induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) followed by targeted genome editing provides an opportunity for developing customized effective cellular therapies for genetic disorders. However,it is critical to ascertain whether edited iPSCs harbor unfavorable genomic variations before their clinical application. To examine the mutation status of the edited iPSC genome and trace the origin of possible mutations at different steps,we have generated virus-free iPSCs from amniotic cells carrying homozygous point mutations in beta-hemoglobin gene (HBB) that cause severe beta-thalassemia (beta-Thal),corrected the mutations in both HBB alleles by zinc finger nuclease-aided gene targeting,and obtained the final HBB gene-corrected iPSCs by excising the exogenous drug resistance gene with Cre recombinase. Through comparative genomic hybridization and whole-exome sequencing,we uncovered seven copy number variations,five small insertions/deletions,and 64 single nucleotide variations (SNVs) in beta-Thal iPSCs before the gene targeting step and found a single small copy number variation,19 insertions/deletions,and 340 single nucleotide variations in the final gene-corrected beta-Thal iPSCs. Our data revealed that substantial but different genomic variations occurred at factor-induced somatic cell reprogramming and zinc finger nuclease-aided gene targeting steps,suggesting that stringent genomic monitoring and selection are needed both at the time of iPSC derivation and after gene targeting. View Publication

Nature Genetics 47,469 (2015). doi:10.1038/ng.3258 View Publication

Cardiac malformations and disease are the leading causes of death in the United States in live-born infants and adults,respectively. In both of these cases,a decrease in the number of functional cardiomyocytes often results in improper growth of heart tissue,wound healing complications,and poor tissue repair. The field of cardiac tissue engineering seeks to address these concerns by developing cardiac patches created from a variety of biomaterial scaffolds to be used in surgical repair of the heart. These scaffolds should be fully degradable biomaterial systems with tunable properties such that the materials can be altered to meet the needs of both in vitro culture (e.g. disease modeling) and in vivo application (e.g. cardiac patch). Current platforms do not utilize both structural anisotropy and proper cell-matrix contacts to promote functional cardiac phenotypes and thus there is still a need for critically sized scaffolds that mimic both the structural and adhesive properties of native tissue. To address this need,we have developed a silk-based scaffold platform containing cardiac tissue-derived extracellular matrix (cECM). These silk-cECM composite scaffolds have tunable architectures,degradation rates,and mechanical properties. Subcutaneous implantation in rats demonstrated that addition of the cECM to aligned silk scaffold led to 99% endogenous cell infiltration and promoted vascularization of a critically sized scaffold (10 × 5 × 2.5 mm) after 4 weeks in vivo. In vitro,silk-cECM scaffolds maintained the HL-1 atrial cardiomyocytes and human embryonic stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes and promoted a more functional phenotype in both cell types. This class of hybrid silk-cECM anisotropic scaffolds offers new opportunities for developing more physiologically relevant tissues for cardiac repair and disease modeling. View Publication

BACKGROUND This article is part of a series of publications providing formal method validation for biospecimen processing in the context of accreditation in laboratories and biobanks. We report the optimization and validation for fitness-for-purpose of automated and manual protocols for isolating peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from whole blood,and compare the two methods. METHODS The manual method was optimized for whole blood centrifugation speed,gradient type (Ficoll,Leucosep,CPT),and freezing method (Mr Frosty,Controlled Rate Freezing). Various parameters of the automated protocol using a CPT gradient on a Tecan liquid handler were optimized. Optimal protocols were validated in parallel for reproducibility and robustness. Optimization and validation were assessed in terms of cell yield,viability,recovery,white blood cell (WBC) subpopulation distribution,gene expression,and lymphoblastoid cell line (LCL) transformation. RESULTS An initial centrifugation of whole blood at 2000 g was considered optimal for further processing,allowing isolation of plasma and PBMCs from a single sample. The three gradients gave similar outcomes in terms of cell yield,viability,and WBC subpopulation distribution. Ficoll showed some advantages and was selected for further evaluations. Optimization of the automated protocol script using a CPT gradient gave 61% cell recovery. No significant differences in quality,quantity,and WBC subpopulation distribution were seen between the two freezing methods,and Mr. Frosty was selected. The manual and automated protocols were reproducible in terms of quantity,recovery,viability,WBC subpopulation distribution,gene expression,and LCL transformation. Most (75%-100%) of the 13 robustness parameters were accepted for both methods with an 8 h pre-centrifugation delay versus 38%-85% after 24 h. Differences identified between the automated and manual methods were not considered consequential. CONCLUSIONS We validated the first fully automated method for isolating viable PBMCs,including RNA analysis and generation of LCLs. We recommend processing within 8 h of blood collection. View Publication

In recent years,several studies have shed light into the processes that regulate epidermal specification and homeostasis. We previously showed that a broad-spectrum γ-secretase inhibitor DAPT promoted early keratinocyte specification in human embryonic stem cells triggered to undergo ectoderm specification. Here,we show that DAPT accelerates human embryonic stem cell differentiation and induces expression of the ectoderm protein AP2. Furthermore,we utilize RNA sequencing to identify several candidate regulators of ectoderm specification including those involved in epithelial and epidermal development in human embryonic stem cells. Genes associated with transcriptional regulation and growth factor activity are significantly enriched upon DAPT treatment during specification of human embryonic stem cells to the ectoderm lineage. The human ectoderm cell signature identified in this study contains several genes expressed in ectodermal and epithelial tissues. Importantly,these genes are also associated with skin disorders and ectodermal defects,providing a platform for understanding the biology of human epidermal keratinocyte development under diseased and homeostatic conditions. View Publication

Endothelial cells (ECs) exist in different microenvironments in vivo,including under different levels of shear stress in arteries versus veins. Standard stem cell differentiation protocols to derive ECs and EC-subtypes from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) generally use growth factors or other soluble factors in an effort to specify cell fate. In this study,a biomimetic flow bioreactor was used to subject hiPSC-derived ECs (hiPSC-ECs) to shear stress to determine the impacts on phenotype and upregulation of markers associated with an anti-thrombotic,anti-inflammatory,arterial-like phenotype. The in vitro bioreactor system was able to efficiently mature hiPSC-ECs into arterial-like cells in 24 h,as demonstrated by qRT-PCR for arterial markers EphrinB2,CXCR4,Conexin40 and Notch1,as well protein-level expression of Notch1 intracellular domain (NICD). Furthermore,the exogenous addition of soluble factors was not able to fully recapitulate this phenotype that was imparted by shear stress exposure. The induction of these phenotypic changes was biomechanically mediated in the shear stress bioreactor. This biomimetic flow bioreactor is an effective means for the differentiation of hiPSC-ECs toward an arterial-like phenotype,and is amenable to scale-up for culturing large quantities of cells for tissue engineering applications. View Publication