Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) are adult cells that have been reprogrammed to an embryonic stem cell–like state. The cells can replicate indefinitely or, under controlled conditions, can be differentiated into any other cell type such as nerve, heart or liver cells. Medical researchers are able to use iPS cells to test how different patients might respond to new drugs or to analyse how genetic diseases develop.
The EBiSC stem cell bank is a collection of human iPS cells available to academic and commercial researchers for use in disease modelling and other forms of stem cell research. The initial collection has been generated from a wide range of donors representing specific disease backgrounds and healthy controls. EBiSC has established many routine procedures for collecting, expanding and characterizing human iPS cell lines. The stem cell bank includes iPSC cell lines derived from neurodegenerative diseases (Alzheimer′s Disease, Parkinson′s Disease, Dementia, Motor Neuron Disease (ALS) - and Huntington′s Disease), eye and heart diseases, and lines from healthy control donors for age and sex matching.
