First generation of induced pluripotent stem cells from domestic cats

Researchers have reported for the first time producing feline induced pluripotent stem cells (fiPSCs) from adult cells of domestic cats. The methods and implications of this research are published in Stem Cells and Development, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. Click hereto read the full-text article for free on the Stem Cells and Development through November 17, 2019.

The availability of fiPSCs may make it possible to develop cellular models of genetic diseases affecting domestic cats - and similar human disorders - contributing to a better understanding of those diseases and the identification of novel therapeutic approaches. The fiPSCs generated by Dutton et al. were able to differentiate in vitro into cells that represented all three germ layers and produced relevant stem cell markers. 

Graham C. Parker, PhD, Editor-in-Chief of Stem Cells and Development and The Carman and Ann Adams Department of Pediatrics, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI states: "Although AAother groups have previously reported derivation of iPSCs from species of wild cats, this is the first characterization of iPSCs from this important companion species."