This technology is a method to generate and culture fetal lung progenitor cells that could be used to develop in vitro lung tissue and treat lung disease.
Over 100,000 people die in America each year from non-malignant lung disease. Though many of these patients could be treated with lung transplantation, there are too few donor lungs available and this procedure has a low 10-year survival rate. An alternative to donor lung tissue could greatly improve outcomes for patients suffering from lung disease.
This technology describes a method that uses stem cells and a series of growth factors to grow lung organoids. Cells harvested from these organoids express markers indicating that they are fetal lung progenitor cells and capable of giving rise to any cell in the respiratory system. Unlike other methods, which rely on embryonic stem cells to derive lung progenitor cells, this method is compatible with both embryonic and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). These fetal lung progenitors could be used to grow lung tissue in vitro or could be deposited into a patient to regenerate damaged lung epithelium, providing an alternative to lung transplantation from donors.
Hans-Willem Snoeck, M.D., Ph.D.
IR CU18150
Licensing Contact: Joan Martinez