iPSCs: Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell

Question 1

Explain the process of somatic cell nuclear transfer

Answer 1

1. Unfertilised egg, remove nucleus and add nucleus from adult skin cell
2. Blastocyst form
3. Embryonic stem cell line
4. Effective cloning

Question 2

How do you form induced pluripotent stem cells from adult cells

Answer 2

1. Adult cell reprogrammed using retrovirus
2. Four transcription factors that switch genes on and off need to be adjusted:
   Oct 3/4, c-Myc, Klf4, Sox2
3. Can form all germ layers

Question 3

How can you create a patient specific iPS

Answer 3

If a patient has a defect in a gene that will get Alzheimer’s disease, can compare this to health stem cell to see which mutation causes this

Question 4

What are the potential uses of induced pluripotent stem cells and the difficulties behind each one

Answer 4

1. Transplantation of correction cells- even if you add it to damaged neuron area, hard to produce neurones that connect
2. Research cell type affected: drug discovery programs

Question 5

What are the difficulties behind stem cell therapy

Answer 5

Expensive
Less invasive
Complicated procedure

Question 6

Explain the research on Alzheimers disease done using iPSCs?

Answer 6

1. Taking cell types with Alzheimers that have a known genetic defect and compared to normal one
2. Looked at both and realised cell stress was caused by alpha beta oligomers and they reduce stress using DHA treatment

Question 7

Explain the research on Cardiomyopathy/Barth Syndrome done using iPSCs?

Answer 7

1. Looking for phenotypes: different to normal cells

2. Realised structural, metabolic and functional abnormalities

Question 8

Explain the research on Familial dilated cardiomyopathy done using iPSCs?

Answer 8

Defects in beating and actinin network

Improved with metoprolol treatment

Question 9

What is the multiply step in pluripotent stem cells (embryonic and iPSCs)

Answer 9

Achieving unlimited expansion of both cells

Monitoring genetic integrity of ES cell lines

Understanding mechanisms of self renewal

Question 10

What is the modify step in pluripotent stem cells (embryonic and iPSCs)

Answer 10

Performing genetic modification of ES cells (gene therapy, labelling, gene targeting)

Question 11

What is the differentiation step in pluripotent stem cells (embryonic and iPSCs)

Answer 11

Understanding mechanisms of differentiation

How to generate neural cells from ES and other cells using signals

Question 12

What is the reprogramming step in pluripotent stem cells (embryonic and iPSCs)

Answer 12

Creating iPS cell lines from somatic cells

Unveiling mechanisms for reprogramming

Using iPS cells as disease models

Question 13

What are the problems behind iPSCs

Answer 13

1. Same as embryonic stem cells to form teratomas
2. Still playing god
3. Neutropenia risk (abnormally low neutrophils)

Question 14

What are the advantages of iPSCs

Answer 14

Immune rejection not an issue as iPSC cells are made from yourself

Ethics: not as ethically challenging as embryonic stem cell