Salk Institute develops new technique for stem cell production

New technique is designed for unlimited stem cell and derivative production besides significant reduction in the production time and reduction in the risk of teratomas.

Salk scientists modified the direct lineage conversion technique and developed indirect lineage conversion (ILC) where somatic cells are converted back to an previous state that suits further specification into progenitor cells.

After the cells are introduced into the specially developed chemical environment, multiple lineages can be produced using the technique.

The Salk Institute Roger Guillemin Chair Juan Carlos Izpisua Belmonte laboratory postdoctoral researcher and one of the first authors of the paper Ignacio Sancho-Martinez said, "One of the barriers that needs to be overcome before stem cell therapies can be widely adopted is the difficulty of producing enough cells quickly enough for acute clinical application."

Salk scientists leveraged the ILC technique to reprogram human fibroblasts to the progenitors of vascular cells, the angioblast-like cells.

New cells could proliferate and differentiate into endothelial and smooth muscle vascular lineages. The cells when implanted into mice, integrated into the existing vasculature.