iPS-Cell Based Cell Therapies for Genetic Skin Disease

AMSBIO has published an interview with Professor Marius Wernig from Stanford University, Pathology Stem Cell Institute that discusses what could be the world’s first widely applicable curative treatment for Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB).

This rare genetic disease causes chronic and incredibly painful skin wounds that often lead to an aggressive form of skin cancer and eventual death.

While various cell-therapy approaches have been attempted, Professor Wernig and collaborators identified the need for induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), and how they could become used to treat EB in a more efficient, applicable, and commercially viable manner.

In the past, the only way Professor Wernig’s research group could grow iPSCs cells with a normal karyotype over longer periods of time was on mouse feeder cells with serum. This combination of mouse cell co-culture and undefined bovine serum set was not a suitable methodology as it was almost impossible to perform in compliance with FDA safety standards.

Professor Wernig describes how StemFit® Basic03 clinical grade stem cell culture medium, available from AMSBIO has allowed his research group to safely expand their cells using an FDA compliant protocol. While there are still hurdles to climb before a cure for EB is fully realized, using StemFit® Basic03 has solved the challenge of reproducibly growing clinical grade iPSC’s.