Evaluation of Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Blood Cells in Nonhuman Primate Model

Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle WA

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Abstract

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Allogeneic hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell (HSPC) transplantation has the potential to cure hematologic disease. However, many patients do not have an HLA matched donor, and graft-versus-host disease is a significant problem. Autologous patient HSPCs can be genetically corrected to cure the disease, but low yields of autologous HSPCs and ex vivo manipulation cause a loss of stemness leading to reduced engraftment. Thus, HSPC production from patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) would solve these problems and represent an unlimited cell source. To advance clinical translation of iPSC therapeutics, we propose a novel strategy to expand iPSC-derived HSPCs for hematopoietic transplantation. Specifically, we propose to engineer endothelial cells (ECs) for generation, expansion, and engraftment of putative HSPCs from pigtail macaque (Mn)iPSCs in the clinically relevant nonhuman primate model. In a promising collaboration with Dr. Shahin Rafii, we developed an effective, novel platform to expand macaque CD34+ LT- HSCs up to 25-fold by co-culture with Akt-activated human endothelial cells (E4+ECs). We recently found that iPSC-HSPCs expanded on E4+ECs have high levels of engraftment in NSG mice (up to 50% CD45+ cells). This evidence substantiates our novel approach to alter iPSC-HSPC biology through direct contact culture with angiocrine/hematopoietic signals unique to E4+ECs. The proposed studies will translate these findings to nonhuman primates and thus provide a major step toward producing iPSC-HSPCs with the capacity for hematopoietic reconstitution and correction of genetic diseases.