Phenotypic screening on patient derived-cells

To incresase the relevance of the early stage of drug research process, using patient derived-cells is really the good way. This can be now feasible by using iPSCs. This is nicely described in the recent article published on GEN website.

“The ability to make induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from adult human somatic cells and use those iPSCs to produce any cell type in the human body opens new avenues for drug discovery. Human iPSCs can enable phenotypic screening efforts by supplying unlimited amounts of relevant cell types derived from diverse genetic backgrounds.

Newly available biobanks of high-quality iPSCs from hundreds of donors, representing a growing number of disease states, are making it easier to create robust phenotypic screening programs. By 2018, publicly available biobanked iPSC lines are expected to number in the thousands (Novak, 2015).”

To read the full article published on GEN, follow this link : http://www.genengnews.com/gen-articles/enabling-phenotypic-screening/5657/