This technology promotes homologous recombination during cellular reprogramming, leading to more efficient generation of induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) lines with improved genetic integrity.
A significant challenge in the generation of iPSC lines from somatic cell sources is the resulting genome instability and frequency of genetic changes. Such instability compromises the genetic integrity and developmental competence of iPSC lines generated for use in research and therapy. Considering that this issue is not addressed by existing methods for cellular reprogramming, there remains a need for a strategy to improve genome stability during the generation of stem cell lines.
This technology identifies an improved method for generating induced pluripotent stem cells. Through interference with 53BPI expression, a factor that promotes nonhomologous end joining, the technology shifts the balance towards homologous recombination. Such a shift improves genomic stability during reprogramming with a wide range of agents such as RNA guided nucleases, resulting in more efficient generation of stem cell lines with improved genetic integrity. As such, this technology may be used for the generation of developmentally competent stem cell lines with broad applications spanning research and medicine.
IR CU20029
Licensing Contact: Kristin Neuman