Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Training Program
What are iPS Cells ?
In 2006 researchers in Japan first announced that it was possible to convert ordinary mouse fibroblasts into cells very similar to embryonic stem (ES) cells by insertion of just four genes. In 2007 this finding was repeated using human skin cells. The resulting cells, called induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells), closely resemble embryonic stem cells in all respects.
iPS cells have now been prepared in many labs around the world, showing that this is a robust technology. They can be prepared from individual patients and provide cells for the study of developmental mechanisms, the study of disease processes, the testing of drugs, and may, with further advances in technology, provide patient-specific stem cells for transplantation therapy.
iPS Cell Training Program at the KULeuven
The iPS Cell Training Program was established at the Stem Cell Institute Leuven to deliver expertise, resources and assistance to researchers who wish to generate or use induced pluripotent stem cells in their work at the KULeuven and in the wider research community.
Resources Available
The iPS training program provides resources for the production, characterization and differentiation of iPS cells. We have established protocols with materials and personnel to produce both mouse and human iPS cells. This can be done either in the Stem Cell Institute Leuven or by assisting researchers in making iPS cells in their own laboratory.
Who to Contact
If you would like to use the iPS cell facility or introduce iPS cells into your research please contact Prof. Catherine Verfaillie or Vicky Raets
