Generation of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells from Human Cord Blood

In the October 2 issue of Cancer Stem Cells two independent groups demonstrate that human cord blood can be reprogrammed to pluripotency. Belmonte and colleagues reprogrammed CD133+ cord blood cells with as few as two transcription factors, Oct4 and Sox2, to generate teratoma-forming human iPSCs. This population reprogrammed with a higher efficiency than fibroblasts. In the second report, Haase, Martin et al. also generate iPSCs from cord blood, and are able to later differentaite the newly reprogrammed cells into functional cardiomyocytes (check out this movie showing their cardiomyocytes beating)


Generation of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells from Human Cord Blood
Haase, Martin et al.
Cell Stem Cell, Vol. 5, Issue 4, 434-441, 2 October 2009

Generation of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells from Human Cord Blood Using OCT4 and SOX2
Giorgetti, Belmonte et al.
Cell Stem Cell, Vol. 5, Issue 4, 353-357, 2 October 2009

R&D Systems used in these studies:

• recombinant human DKK-1
• Anti-LIN28
  
• Anti-α-Fetoprotein
  
• Anti-Sox17
  
• Anti-FoxA2