Three new human induced pluripotent stem cell lines to enrich the Aging Cell Collection housed at the Coriell Institute for Medical Research
Three novel human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC) lines have been added to the Aging Cell Repository of the National Institute on Aging (NIA), a biorepository of cell lines and DNA that includes samples from aging cohorts and premature aging disorders. The biorepository has been in the care of the Coriell Institute for Medical Research for nearly 50 years. These three bring the total number of hiPSC lines in the growing Aging Cell Repository to 28.
The three new lines represent Parkinson’s disease, a common neurodegenerative disorder, Rothmund-Thomson syndrome, a rare disease caused by a genetic mutation which manifests clinical features of accelerated aging, and non-healing wounds, a condition frequently associated with bedbound older individuals.
The addition of new iPSC lines is a priority for the NIA Aging Cell Repository. The new stem cells were created from skin cells from donors living with disorders of aging. Skin cells (fibroblasts) or blood cells can be reprogrammed to generate hiPSCs, which can be coaxed, or differentiated, into nearly any type of cell in the body. Disease-specific hiPSCs provide researchers access to biomaterials such as living neurons with the genetic makeup of patients diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease or Alzheimer’s disease and can facilitate expedited drug discovery and therapy development.
“We’re thrilled to add these three iPSC lines to the NIA Aging Cell Repository,” said Kathryn Driesbaugh, PhD, Director of Repository Operations at Coriell and Principal Investigator of the collection. “Their unique utility for research has great potential to accelerate the work of the scientists working on therapies and basic understandings of these disorders and it is an honor to meet that need.”
The first hiPSCs were added to the NIA Aging Cell Repository in 2018 and more lines are being added each year. These lines represent some of the most common aging and neurological disorders, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, and apparently healthy control groups from diverse backgrounds.
The Aging Cell Repository is always looking to add additional lines to its collection. If you have generated an iPSC line from cells purchased from the NIA Aging Cell Repository and would like to contribute it back to the collection, or you have a line that might be of interest to the collection, please contact NIA@Coriell.org.
About the Coriell Institute for Medical Research
Founded in 1953, the Coriell Institute for Medical Research is a nonprofit research institute dedicated to improving human health through biomedical research. Coriell scientists lead research in personalized medicine, cancer biology, epigenetics, and the genomics of opioid use disorder. Coriell also hosts one of the world's leading biobanks—comprised of collections for the National Institutes of Health, disease foundations and private clients—and distributes biological samples and offers research and biobanking services to scientists around the globe. To facilitate drug discovery and disease study, the Institute also develops and distributes collections of induced pluripotent stem cells. For more information, visit Coriell.org.
