Stem cell research that uses pluripotent stem cells derived from human skin or blood cells has led to numerous discoveries, aided drug development, and proven useful in gene therapies. However, many of these human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC) lines banked in repositories or developed in labs likely harbor thousands of undetected mutations, casting doubt on how generalizable the findings made with them can be, according to research published yesterday (August 11) in Nature Genetics. According to study coauthor and Cambridge Biomedical Research Campus medical geneticist Serena Nik-Zainal, the study reveals that the level of quality control involved in such stem cell research may not be up to snuff.
Researchers make hiPSCs by harvesting somatic cells—often from skin—from a person and then reprogramming them to enter an embryonic-like state. Nik-Zainal says that she and her colleagues were clued in to the widespread presence of mutations years ago when they noticed ...
