Genetic Engineering Publications - GEG Tech top picks

Transient delivery of exogenous RNA into cells provides a safer reprogramming system to transgenic approaches that rely on exogenous DNA or viral vectors. RNA reprogrammed iPSCs lines may prove to be more suitable for clinical applications and provide stable starting cell lines for gene-editing, isolation and characterization of patient iPSC lines. The introduction and rapid evolution of CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing systems has provided a readily accessible research tool to perform functional human genetic experiments. Similar to RNA reprogramming, transient delivery of mRNA encoding Cas9 in combination with guide RNA sequences to target specific points in the genome eliminates the risk of potential integration of Cas9 plasmid constructs. Here, the scientists present optimized RNA based laboratory procedure for making and editing iPSCs. In the near-term these two powerful technologies are being harnessed to dissect mechanisms of human development and disease in vitro, supporting both basic and translational research. 

To explore the impact of age on iPSC quality, the scientists produced iPSCs from blood cells of 16 donors aged 21–100. We find that iPSCs from older donors retain an epigenetic signature of age, which can be reduced through passaging. These studies establish that donor age is associated with an increased risk of abnormalities in iPSCs and will inform clinical development of reprogramming technology.