title: Characterization of human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived retinal pigment epithelium cell sheets aiming for clinical application.
abstract: Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) causes severe visual impairment due in part to age-dependent impairment of retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). It has been suggested that autologous human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) may represent a useful cell source for the generation of graft RPE. We generated hiPSC-derived RPE (hiPSC-RPE) cell sheets optimized to meet clinical use requirements, including quality, quantity, consistency, and safety. These cell sheets are generated as a monolayer of cells without any artificial scaffolds, express typical RPE markers, form tight junctions that exhibit polarized secretion of growth factors, and show phagocytotic ability and gene-expression patterns similar to those of native RPE. Additionally, upon transplantation, autologous nonhuman primate iPSC-RPE cell sheets showed no immune rejection or tumor formation. These results suggest that autologous hiPSC-RPE cell sheets may serve as a useful form of graft for use in tissue replacement therapy for AMD.
authors: Laboratory for Retinal Regeneration, RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology, Kobe, Hyogo 650-0047, Japan ; Department of Ophthalmology, Kawasaki Medical School, Kurashiki, Okayama 701-0114, Japan.
authors: Hiroyuki
authors: H
authors: Kamao
authors: Laboratory for Retinal Regeneration, RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology, Kobe, Hyogo 650-0047, Japan.
authors: Michiko
authors: M
authors: Mandai
authors: Laboratory for Retinal Regeneration, RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology, Kobe, Hyogo 650-0047, Japan.
authors: Satoshi
authors: S
authors: Okamoto
authors: Laboratory for Retinal Regeneration, RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology, Kobe, Hyogo 650-0047, Japan.
authors: Noriko
authors: N
authors: Sakai
authors: Laboratory for Retinal Regeneration, RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology, Kobe, Hyogo 650-0047, Japan.
authors: Akiko
authors: A
authors: Suga
authors: Laboratory for Retinal Regeneration, RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology, Kobe, Hyogo 650-0047, Japan.
authors: Sunao
authors: S
authors: Sugita
authors: Department of Ophthalmology, Kawasaki Medical School, Kurashiki, Okayama 701-0114, Japan.
authors: Junichi
authors: J
authors: Kiryu
authors: Laboratory for Retinal Regeneration, RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology, Kobe, Hyogo 650-0047, Japan.
authors: Masayo
authors: M
authors: Takahashi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D018929:Cell Culture Techniques; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000637:transplantation; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D006801:Humans; D057026:Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology*; D008252:Macaca fascicularis; D051381:Rats; D055213:Retinal Pigment Epithelium / Q000166:cytology*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers