Boston University and Millipore Corporation have announced a licensing agreement for a highly efficient method of creating induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells derived from mouse fibroblasts.
The technique uses a single virus vector instead of multiple viruses in the reprogramming process.
The vector has been licensed to Millipore for non-human research reagent use and is expected to be made commercially available later this year.
The laboratory tool was created last December by a Boston University School of Medicine research team led by Assistant Prof Gustavo Mostoslavsky and represents a step toward the application of embryonic stem-cell-like cells for clinical purposes.
'Induced pluripotent stem cells have tremendous potential for disease research and regenerative medicine,' said John Sweeney, vice-president of the Life Sciences Strategic Business Unit.
'However, even the leading scientists in the field have noted that existing reprogramming methods are time consuming and inefficient.
'This method will help these scientists quicken the pace of this important research,' he added.
The research was published last December in the journal Stem Cells and is entitled 'iPS Cell Generation Using a Single Lentiviral Stem Cell Cassette'.
Prior research studies have required multiple retroviral vectors for reprogramming - steps that depended on four different viruses to transfer genes into the cells' DNA - essentially a separate virus for each reprogramming gene (Oct4, Klf4, Sox2 and cMyc).
Upon activation these genes convert the cells from their adult, differentiated status to what amounts to an embryonic-like state.
However, the high number of genomic integrations (15 to 20) that typically occur when multiple viruses are used for reprogramming poses a safety risk in humans, as some of these genes can cause cancer.
In addition, the viruses can integrate in random genomic locations, potentially turning on oncogenes.
The major milestone achieved by the research team was to combine the four vectors into a single 'stem cell cassette' containing all four genes.
The cassette (named Stemcca) is comprised of a single, multicistronic mRNA encoding the four transcription factors using a combination of 2A peptide technology and an internal ribosomal entry site (IRES).
With the Stemcca vector, the researchers were able to generate iPS cells much more efficiently - typically 10 times higher than in previously reported studies.
'The use of a single lentiviral vector for the derivation of iPS cells will help reduce the variability in efficiency that has been observed between different laboratories, thus enabling more consistent genetic and biochemical characterisations of iPS cells and the reprogramming process,' said the researchers.
