Induced pluripotent stem cells: Generation methods and a new perspective in COVID-19 research

Abstract

Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) exhibit an unlimited ability to self-renew and produce various differentiated cell types, thereby creating high hopes for both scientists and patients as a great tool for basic research as well as for regenerative medicine purposes. The availability and safety of iPSCs for therapeutic purposes require safe and highly efficient methods for production of these cells. Different methods have been used to produce iPSCs, each of which has advantages and disadvantages. Studying these methods would be very helpful in developing an easy, safe, and efficient method for the generation of iPSCs. Since iPSCs can be generated from somatic cells, they can be considered as valuable cellular resources available for important research needs and various therapeutic purposes. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a disease that has endangered numerous human lives worldwide and currently has no definitive cure. Therefore, researchers have been rigorously studying and examining all aspects of COVID-19 and potential treatment modalities and various drugs in order to enable the treatment, control, and prevention of COVID-19. iPSCs have become one of the most attractive and promising tools in this field by providing the ability to study COVID-19 and the effectiveness of drugs on this disease outside the human body. In this study, we discuss the different methods of generation of iPSCs as well as their respective advantages and disadvantages. We also present recent applications of iPSCs in the study and treatment of COVID-19.

Overcoming the challenges of scalable iPSC generation in translation medicine

“…These techniques aim to enhance the efficiency of the reprogramming process. 20 Notably, a significant milestone was reached in 2015 when the first successful clinical trial in Japan utilized iPSC-derived retinal pigmented epithelial cells to treat a patient with agerelated macular degeneration (RIKEN trial). 21 However, the cost and time-consuming nature of iPSC production has posed challenges to their widespread use.…”

Designing molecules: directing stem cell differentiation

“…The increased understanding of biological signaling pathways and networks has led to the emergence of a completely new area of synthetic biology where single or multiple gene transfer to cells, assigning new functions, and potentially affecting the entire metabolism of multicellular organisms ( Vargas et al, 2016 ). Biological vectors consist of viral vectors and non-viral vectors that are used to deliver genetic materials by infecting the cells ( Karami et al, 2023 ).…”