The Xeno-Free Red Blood Cell Differentiation Media
The in vitro differentiation of human iPSCs into adult RBCs using a novel Xeno-free Erythroid Differentiation Media (XF-EDM)
Background
Donor-derived blood products are in high-demand in clinical medicine to maintain the health of patients lacking in key blood components such as red blood cells (RBCs). A method of generating patient-specific or universal donor human RBCs would thus be highly desirable for clinical use as well as for modeling human blood diseases and for therapeutics development.
Technology Overview
A protocol has been developed for the in vitro differentiation of human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) into adult RBCs using a novel Xeno-free Erythroid Differentiation Media (XF-EDM). XF-EDM can be used to generate RBCs that are safe for live human use due to the incorporation of a non-toxic chemical compound that serves as a replacement for an animal-derived component Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA).
With this technology, hematopoietic progenitor cells derived from iPSCs or fetal cord blood were differentiated along the erythroid lineage over three distinct stages gradually developing into mature enucleated RBCs (see Figure 1) and the use of XF-EDM further enhanced RBC proliferation without compromising enucleation.
Benefits
- Engineered RBCs without use of animal products such as Bovine Serum Albumin
- All components of pharmaceutical and analytical grade
Applications
- Generation of patient-specific Red Blood Cells for clinical use
- Engineering of human blood cells for the study of diseases such as sickle cell anemia and malaria
- Platform for development of novel drugs and vaccines without relying on donor supply
Patents
IP Status
- Patent application submitted
