Generation and characterization of patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells for disease modeling, drug discovery, and regenerative medicine applications.
The Induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) production platform core facility at the Centre hospitalier universitaire (CHU) de Québec–Université Laval Research Center provides state-of-the-art expertise in the generation and characterization of human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). The platform specializes in deriving iPSCs from primary somatic sources such as dermal fibroblasts, peripheral blood mononuclear cells, urinary cells, or lymphoblastoid cell lines using non-integrative Sendai virus (SeV) reprogramming to ensure genomic stability and reproducibility.
The team offers comprehensive quality control pipelines, including morphological evaluation, expression of pluripotency markers, karyotyping, and spontaneous trilineage differentiation, guaranteeing high-quality iPSC lines suitable for downstream applications. These lines serve as powerful tools for disease modeling, therapeutic target validation, drug screening, and regenerative medicine approaches.
The platform’s strength lies in combining advanced technical expertise with rigorous standardization and reproducibility.
• Fibroblast isolation and culture from patient skin biopsies
• Peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) isolation and preparation for reprogramming
• Urinary cells isolation and preparation for reprogramming
• iPSC reprogramming using non-integrative Sendai virus methodology
• Expansion and cryopreservation of iPSC lines for long-term storage
• Comprehensive quality control and characterization, including morphological assessment; expression of pluripotency markers (immunocytochemistry, flow cytometry, quantitative polymerase chain reaction [qPCR]); karyotyping for genomic stability; spontaneous trilineage differentiation assays
• Hands-on training workshops (annual and on demand) for academic, clinical, and industry researchers
• Consultation and expertise in project design, experimental strategy, and iPSC applications
- Life sciences, pharmaceuticals and medical equipment
- Utilities
Specialized labs and equipment
| Equipment | Function |
|---|---|
| BD FACSMelody Cell Sorter, Model 661588 | Performs flow cytometry for quantitative characterization of iPSC self-renewal proteins. |
| Bio-Rad QX600 Droplet Digital PCR System | Performs polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique for karyotyping iPSC using iCS-digital PSC kit from Stem Genomics. |
| ThermoFisher Scientific Applied Biosystems QuantStudio 5 Real-Time PCR System | Performs quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), system with 384 wells suitable for the TaqMan hPSC Scorecard Kit, quantification of specific gene expression of iPSC and validation of Sendai virus (SeV) transgenes elimination. |
| DeNovix CellDrop FL automated cell counter | Measures cell concentration and viability. |
| ZEISS Axio Imager LSM 700 Confocal microscope | Performs immunofluorescence observation of qualitative self-renewal protein expression. |
| Vision Engineering Lynx Stereo Dynascopic Microscope | Performs sterile manual colonies picking. |
| ThermoFisher Scientific NanoDrop 2000c Spectrophotometer | Performs RNA/DNA quantification. |