Abstract Thu052: Development of a Comprehensive Biobank of Human iPSC Lines for Open-Access Distribution to Academic Researchers

Background: Human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) have revolutionized biomedical, translational and toxicology research in many fields such as cardiovascular disease, development, aging, regeneration, cancer, personalized medicine, and many rare diseases. The need for obtaining iPSC lines with the associated donors’ clinical data and from patients of diverse genetic backgrounds has been greater than ever. Greenstone Biosciences Inc. (GSB) has built a curated biorepository to address this demand as an asset for the scientific community utilizing iPSCs. Methods: The GSB biobank curates clinical data, isolates peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), reprograms and banks patient-specific iPSC lines, and performs quality assurance. Reprogramming of PBMCs to iPSCs is carried out using non-integrating Sendai virus encoding for Oct4, Sox2, Klf4, and c-Myc. We then rigorously validate all iPSCs for pluripotency using immunofluorescence of stemness markers, qRT-PCR, G-banding and SNP-based virtual karyotyping along with quality control methods recommended by the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR). Results: We have a growing repository of over 1,000 iPSC lines with various disease backgrounds across demographics. We have an equal distribution of sex with 54% male and 46% female patients. We have representation of various populations including White non-Hispanic (56.9%), Hispanic or Latino (14.1%), East Asian (8%), African American (6.6%), and South Asian (5.7%). While 10% of the repository are cells from healthy donors, the bulk of our repository cell lines represent inherited cardiovascular diseases with known genetic mutations including hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), long QT syndrome (LQTS) and many other rare conditions such as Brugada syndrome (BrS) and Duchenne’s muscular dystrophy (DMD). We have also established a simple material transfer agreement (MTA) making it extremely accessible for academic and other non-profit institutions. Conclusions: We introduce the Greenstone Biosciences iPSC Biobank, a biorepository containing >1,000 human iPSC lines with de-identified patient clinical information and genetic backgrounds. This invaluable resource will help support iPSC research among academic investigators and institutions in several clinical, therapeutic, regulatory and biomedical research fields.