Disease Modeling Using Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells 2.0

Dear Colleagues,

Recent advances in cell reprogramming and genome editing technologies that allow the generation of patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from differentiated somatic cells and their genetic modification has provided unprecedented sources of human cells for regenerative medicine applications and models to study human diseases. Human iPSCs have been generated from a variety of somatic cells and have been differentiated into almost any cell type of the body, including disease-relevant cell types, like cardiomyocytes, hepatocytes, and neurons. These cells have been also successfully used to recreate mini-organs in a petri dish that recapitulate the cytoarchitecture of the diseased tissue from a pathophysiological and a molecular point of view. If derived from patients with a disease phenotype, these cells will express the entire genetic background of the patient and the genetic modifiers that have a role in disease pathogenesis. Moreover, patient-specific iPSC-derived cells enable personalized therapies and can be employed to either discover new therapeutics or perform toxicity assays in high-throughput screenings. Applications include monogenic diseases, but even complex and multi-factorial disorders, such as cancer, degenerative, psychiatric, and infectious diseases.

We invite you to contribute original articles that describe iPSC-derived disease-in-a-dish models, their use in the recapitulation and the deepening of the molecular mechanisms underlying the disease, and in drug discovery studies. Review articles are also welcome.

Prof. Luisa Barzon
Prof. Marta Trevisan
Guest Editors

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