Researchers optimize lung stem cell engineering process

The Center for Regenerative Medicine (CReM) at Boston University and Boston Medical Center has engineered two new categories of lung epithelial cells in vitro using pluripotent stem cells. Published in Stem Cell Reports, CReM researchers detailed their use of single cell RNA sequencing, a state-of-the-art technique they employed to generate the most comprehensive profile to date of air sack-like (alveolospheres) and airway-like (bronchospheres) cells derived from pluripotent stem cells. These profiles are new components associated with the Center’s Open Source stem cell repository and can be used to create lung tissue in vitro enabling the testing of new drug treatments for a variety of lung diseases.