Open AccessPractical choice for robust and efficient differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells
Author(s) -
Mei Lan Fang,
Liping Liu,
Hang Zhou,
Yumei Li,
YunWen Zheng
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
world journal of stem cells
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.907
H-Index - 18
ISSN - 1948-0210
DOI - 10.4252/wjsc.v12.i8.752
Subject(s) - induced pluripotent stem cell , embryoid body , germ layer , organoid , cellular differentiation , transplantation , computational biology , human induced pluripotent stem cells , stem cell , directed differentiation , mesenchymal stem cell , biology , computer science , microbiology and biotechnology , embryonic stem cell , neuroscience , bioinformatics , medicine , genetics , surgery , gene
Human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) have the distinct advantage of being able to differentiate into cells of all three germ layers. Target cells or tissues derived from hPSCs have many uses such as drug screening, disease modeling, and transplantation therapy. There are currently a wide variety of differentiation methods available. However, most of the existing differentiation methods are unreliable, with uneven differentiation efficiency and poor reproducibility. At the same time, it is difficult to choose the optimal method when faced with so many differentiation schemes, and it is time-consuming and costly to explore a new differentiation approach. Thus, it is critical to design a robust and efficient method of differentiation. In this review article, we summarize a comprehensive approach in which hPSCs are differentiated into target cells or organoids including brain, liver, blood, melanocytes, and mesenchymal cells. This was accomplished by employing an embryoid body-based three-dimensional (3D) suspension culture system with multiple cells co-cultured. The method has high stable differentiation efficiency compared to the conventional 2D culture and can meet the requirements of clinical application. Additionally, ex vivo co-culture models might be able to constitute organoids that are highly similar or mimic human organs for potential organ transplantation in the future.