title: Differentiation of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells to Neural Retinal Precursor Cells on Porous Poly-Lactic-co-Glycolic Acid Scaffolds.
abstract: Cell replacement therapy for the treatment of retinal degeneration is an increasingly feasible approach, but one that still requires optimization of the transplantation strategy. To this end, various polymer substrates can increase cell survival and integration, although the effect of their pore size on cell behavior, particularly differentiation, has yet to be explored.
  
  
  
  Salt crystals of varying known size were used to impart structure to poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) scaffolds by a salt leaching/solvent evaporation process. Mouse induced pluripotent stem cells (miPSCs) were seeded to the polymer scaffolds and supplemented with retinal differentiation media for up to 2 weeks. Proliferation was measured during the course of 2 weeks, while differentiation was evaluated using cell morphology and expression of early retinal development markers.
  
  
  
  The salt leaching method of porous PLGA fabrication resulted in amorphous smooth pores. Cells attached to these scaffolds and proliferated, reaching a maximum cell number at 10 days postseeding that was 5 times higher on porous PLGA than on nonporous controls. The morphology of many of these cells, including their formation of neurites, was suggestive of neural phenotypes, while their expression of Sox2, Pax6, and Otx2 indicates early retinal development.
  
  
  
  The use of porous PLGA scaffolds to differentiate iPSCs to retinal phenotypes is a feasible pretransplantation approach. This adds to an important knowledge base; understanding how developing retinal cells interact with polymer substrates with varying structure is a crucial component of optimizing cell therapy strategies.
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Wynn Institute for Vision Research, The University of Iowa , Iowa City, Iowa.|2 Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, The University of Iowa , Iowa City, Iowa.
authors.forename: Kristan S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Worthington
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Wynn Institute for Vision Research, The University of Iowa , Iowa City, Iowa.
authors.forename: Luke A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Wiley
authors.affiliation: 2 Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, The University of Iowa , Iowa City, Iowa.
authors.forename: C Allan
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Guymon
authors.affiliation: 3 Division of Pharmaceutics and Translational Therapeutics, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Experimental Therapeutics, The University of Iowa , Iowa City, Iowa.
authors.forename: Aliasger K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Salem
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Wynn Institute for Vision Research, The University of Iowa , Iowa City, Iowa.
authors.forename: Budd A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Tucker
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002452:Cell Count; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D057026:Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology*; D019344:Lactic Acid / Q000737:chemistry*; D051379:Mice; D011100:Polyglycolic Acid / Q000737:chemistry*; D000077182:Polylactic Acid-Polyglycolic Acid Copolymer; D016062:Porosity; D012160:Retina / Q000166:cytology*; D012965:Sodium Chloride / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D000077182:Polylactic Acid-Polyglycolic Acid Copolymer; D011100:Polyglycolic Acid; D019344:Lactic Acid; D012965:Sodium Chloride