iPSC DERIVED CARDIOMYOCYTE MATURATION AND CRYOPRESERVATION

Abstract

The development of induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology has revolutionized biomedical research and the study of modern medicine. iPSCs, like their embryonic counterparts, can differentiate into the three germ layers and potentially any cell type in the human body. iPSCs can be derived from somatic cells—overcoming the ethical, regulatory, and practical challenges of sourcing embryonic tissue. iPSCs possess the inherent qualities of self-renewal and pluripotency, by which they can generate diverse disease-relevant cell types. In this project, healthy control iPSCs were differentiated into cardiomyocytes. The cardiomyocytes generated were purified and matured. Cardiomyocytes were characterized by qualitative and quantitative assessments such as morphology, immunohistochemistry, and flow cytometry. Additionally, cryopreservation optimization was performed to maximize the viability and long-term storage of banked cardiomyocytes.