Registration is open for the following webinar:
Reproductive diseases impact at least 10% of the population, but limited research funding has reflected healthcare disparities and stalled innovation. The use of human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) shows great promise in generating resourceful solutions for accelerating innovation in reproductive health. Recently, we demonstrated a novel approach for fast and efficient differentiation of ovarian support cells (OSCs), generating a versatile platform for basic research, as well as clinical applications. This technology was recently applied to improve in vitro maturation (IVM) of human oocytes, a method called OSC-IVM. We have now demonstrated in-depth characterization of OSCs through a comprehensive single-cell RNA-sequencing analysis of over 10 batches. Transcription factor-mediated differentiation generates cells in different stages of ovarian development and folliculogenesis. Moreover, substituting reagents with appropriate higher-quality alternatives, in particular by incorporating laminin-521 as a differentiation matrix, leads to a scalable, reproducible, and pure population of OSCs, with the capability of inducing consistent in vitro maturation of human oocytes. Finally, by applying the modified protocol to a newly generated clinical-grade hiPSC clone, we demonstrated not only the robustness of the process but also the full translation of a research prototype into a clinical solution ready to be applied to support infertility treatment. Our findings demonstrate first-time clinical translation of an hiPSC-derived therapy to advance women’s health, paving the way for its clinical application.
About the Speaker
Dr. Bruna Paulsen, Ph.D. is a stem cell biologist, with over 15 years of expertise in reprogramming, human pluripotent stem cell culture, and differentiation approaches to generate disease-relevant cell types and identify disorder-specific phenotypes in vitro. Prior to joining Gameto, Bruna did her postdoctoral research at the Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology at Harvard University. Bruna has a successful publication record with 23 peer-reviewed and 7 first-author publications including Nature and Nature Biomedical Engineering, and over 30 invited presentations and multiple awards, including the International Society for Stem Cell Research Award for Scientific Excellence, and a Rising Star Award from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Webinar Sessions Available
This same webinar will be given twice, live in the following geographies:
- Europe, Middle East, Africa (EMEA):
Wednesday, 23 October 2024 at 12:00 BST / 13:00 CEST - USA, Canada:
Wednesday, 23 October 2024 at 12:00 EDT / 9:00 PDT