Derivation Of Large Biorepository Of Human Ipsc Lines For Open Access Sharing Among Academic Investigators

Background: Human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and their ability to differentiate into numerous cell types have revolutionized biomedical and translational research in many fields such as cardiovascular disease, development, aging, regeneration, cancer, personalized medicine, and many rare diseases. The need for obtaining iPSC lines with the associated donors’ clinical data and from patients of diverse genetic backgrounds has been greater than ever. Greenstone Biosciences Inc. (GSB) has built a curated biorepository to address this demand as an asset for the scientific community utilizing iPSCs. Methods: The GSB biobank curates clinical data, isolates peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), reprograms and banks patient-specific iPSC lines, and performs quality assurance. Reprogramming of PBMCs to iPSCs is carried out using non-integrating Sendai virus encoding for Oct4, Sox2, Klf4, and c-Myc. We then rigorously validate all iPSCs for pluripotency using immunofluorescence of stemness markers, RT-PCR, and SNP-based virtual karyotyping along with quality control methods established as a standard protocol. Results: We have a growing repository of >1,000 iPSC lines with various disease backgrounds across demographics such as age, sex, race, and ethnicity. The diseases with genetic mutations include hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), long QT syndrome (LQTS), arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia / cardiomyopathy (ARVD/C), Brugada syndrome (BrS), Duchenne’s muscular dystrophy (DMD), Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), and many other rare diseases and syndromes. We have also established a simple material transfer agreement (MTA) for open access by academic investigators. Conclusions: We introduce the Greenstone Biosciences iPSC Biobank, a biorepository containing >1,000 human iPSC lines with de-identified patient clinical information and genetic backgrounds. This invaluable resource will help support iPSC research among academic investigators.