induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Core

The reprogramming of somatic cells to induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) has proven to be a major advance in stem cell research. Yamanaka and colleagues first reported in August 2006 the generation of murine iPSCs from fibroblasts by expression of four transcription factors. Since then, there has been an explosion of studies on iPSC technology, including reprogramming from human cells as well as different cell types; new vectors and delivery modalities for expression of the transcription factors; small molecule replacement(s) for the reprogramming genes; reprogramming using micro RNAs; and derivation of different cell lineages from iPS cells. iPSC technology has undoubtedly become a powerful research tool and holds great potential in regenerative medicine.

The Penn Institute for Regenerative Medicine (IRM), which has been at the forefront of stem cell research and translational medicine, established the iPSC Core in 2009 to promote this powerful technology on campus and surrounding institutions. The goals of the Core are:

• to facilitate derivation of iPS cells from somatic cells;
• to provide expertise and training to researchers in ES/iPS cell culture;
• and to serve as a resource for sharing iPS cell lines and iPSC technology within the UPenn and the broader scientific community.

For more information, please visit the iLab website. To initiate a service, please contact the Core Director Dr. Wenli Yang at wenliyan@pennmedicine.upenn.edu.