Prospects and challenges of reprogrammed cells in hematology and oncology

Exploring the promising potential of induced pluripotent stem cells in cancer research and therapy

The advent of iPSCs has brought about a significant transformation in stem cell research, opening up promising avenues for advancing cancer treatment. The formation of cancer is a multifaceted process influenced by genetic, epigenetic, and environmental factors. iPSCs offer a distinctive platform for investigating the origin of cancer, paving the way for novel approaches to cancer treatment, drug testing, and tailored medical interventions. This review article will provide an overview of the science behind iPSCs, the current limitations and challenges in iPSC-based cancer therapy, the ethical and social implications, and the comparative analysis with other stem cell types for cancer treatment. The article will also discuss the applications of iPSCs in tumorigenesis, the future of iPSCs in tumorigenesis research, and highlight successful case studies utilizing iPSCs in tumorigenesis research. The conclusion will summarize the advancements made in iPSC-based tumorigenesis research and the importance of continued investment in iPSC research to unlock the full potential of these cells.

De Novo Generation of Human Hematopoietic Stem Cells from Pluripotent Stem Cells for Cellular Therapy

The ability to manufacture human hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) in the laboratory holds enormous promise for cellular therapy of human blood diseases. Several differentiation protocols have been developed to facilitate the emergence of HSCs from human pluripotent stem cells (PSCs). Most approaches employ a stepwise addition of cytokines and morphogens to recapitulate the natural developmental process. However, these protocols globally lack clinical relevance and uniformly induce PSCs to produce hematopoietic progenitors with embryonic features and limited engraftment and differentiation capabilities. This review examines how key intrinsic cues and extrinsic environmental inputs have been integrated within human PSC differentiation protocols to enhance the emergence of definitive hematopoiesis and how advances in genomics set the stage for imminent breakthroughs in this field.

Gene correction of HAX1 reversed Kostmann disease phenotype in patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cells

Severe congenital neutropenia (SCN, Kostmann disease) is a heritable disorder characterized by a granulocytic maturation arrest. Biallelic mutations in HCLS1 associated protein X-1 (HAX1) are frequently detected in affected individuals, including those of the original pedigree described by Kostmann in 1956. To date, no faithful animal model has been established to study SCN mediated by HAX1 deficiency. Here we demonstrate defective neutrophilic differentiation and compensatory monocyte overproduction from patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) carrying the homozygous HAX1^W44X nonsense mutation. Targeted correction of the HAX1 mutation using the CRISPR-Cas9 system and homologous recombination rescued neutrophil differentiation and reestablished an HAX1 and HCLS1-centered transcription network in immature myeloid progenitors, which is involved in the regulation of apoptosis, apoptotic mitochondrial changes, and myeloid differentiation. These findings made in isogenic iPSC-derived myeloid cells highlight the complex transcriptional changes underlying Kostmann disease. Thus, we show that patient-derived HAX1^W44X -iPSCs recapitulate the Kostmann disease phenotype in vitro and confirm HAX1 mutations as the disease-causing monogenic lesion. Finally, our study paves the way for nonvirus-based gene therapy approaches in SCN.

Human induced pluripotent stem cells from basic research to potential clinical applications in cancer

The human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) are derived from a direct reprogramming of human somatic cells to a pluripotent stage through ectopic expression of specific transcription factors. These cells have two important properties, which are the self-renewal capacity and the ability to differentiate into any cell type of the human body. So, the discovery of hiPSCs opens new opportunities in biomedical sciences, since these cells may be useful for understanding the mechanisms of diseases in the production of new diseases models, in drug development/drug toxicity tests, gene therapies, and cell replacement therapies. However, the hiPSCs technology has limitations including the potential for the development of genetic and epigenetic abnormalities leading to tumorigenicity. Nowadays, basic research in the hiPSCs field has made progress in the application of new strategies with the aim to enable an efficient production of high-quality of hiPSCs for safety and efficacy, necessary to the future application for clinical practice. In this review, we show the recent advances in hiPSCs' basic research and some potential clinical applications focusing on cancer. We also present the importance of the use of statistical methods to evaluate the possible validation for the hiPSCs for future therapeutic use toward personalized cell therapies.