An innovative and cost-efficient test that will change the way you perform genomic quality control on human Pluripotent Stem Cells |
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| Human pluripotent Stem Cells (hPSCs) have the amazing ability to multiply indefinitely. The downside is their propensity to develop genomic defects in the process, particularly on the 20q11.21 chromosome hotspot. These deleterious defects can occur early in the process; studies have shown that it could be as early as 5 passages (Assou et al., 2020; McIntire et al., 2020; Pamies et al., 2017). |
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For this reason, seasoned research scientists working on hPSCs practice regular and early testing of their cells during their time in culture. G-Banding karyotyping remains the most frequently used method for in-process testing. Although this cytogenetic technique is widely known and available, it has its limitations, primarily for the following 2 reasons:
1. Regular checks can become costly and often take too long.
2. Its poor resolution (10 Mb) is not sufficient to detect small recurrent abnormalities in PSCs, such as the 20q hotspot (>20% of all abnormalities).
This is why Stem Genomics’ founding scientists Professor John De Vos and Dr. Said Assou have designed a specific genomic stability solution for regular testing. The aim: to achieve fast and precise detection of the most recurrent genomic abnormalities in hPSCs during their time in culture. |
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The team specifically analyzed the data of 100 scientific publications concerning 942 hPSC samples. The outcome was the identification of 738 recurrent genetic abnormalities. They used them to design a set of 24 probes specifically located on the most commonly abnormal regions in hPSCs and chose digital PCR technology as the detection method for its speed, precision and sensitivity. As a result, the iCS-digital™PSC test can detect 92% of recurrent genomic abnormalities in hPSCs. The test was published in Stem Cell Reports (Assou et al., 2020).
“Result: 92% of abnormalities detected in hPSCs in just 1 day “
Take a look at our practical guidelines for regular testing of hPSC lines:
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| The iCS-digital™ PSC test is available as a service or a kit. It is particularly fast, straightforward, cost-effective and reliable, whether you choose to perform it in-house or outsource to our services.
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PS. 2: Let’s meet at ISSCR 2022, 15-18th June, San Francisco!
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