Publications by authors named "W J Valk"
Background Aims: Few human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC) lines are Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP)-compliant, limiting the clinical use of hiPSC-derived products. Here, we addressed this by establishing and validating an in-house platform to produce GMP-compliant hiPSCs that would be appropriate for producing both allogeneic and autologous hiPSC-derived products.
Methods: Our standard research protocol for hiPSCs production was adapted and translated into a GMP-compliant platform.
Article Synopsis
- Inner ear development involves coordinating various cell types from different origins, but many details about human development are still unclear despite advancements from animal studies.
- The researchers created a 3D in vitro model using pluripotent stem cells to study human inner ear organogenesis, focusing on the growth of a sensorineural circuit with hair cells and neurons.
- Through single-cell RNA sequencing over 36 days, they mapped the differentiation timeline, identifying many cell types and establishing the Inner Ear Organoid Developmental Atlas (IODA) to enhance understanding of human inner ear biology and tissue differentiation.
Our molecular understanding of the early stages of human inner ear development has been limited by the difficulty in accessing fetal samples at early gestational stages. As an alternative, previous studies have shown that inner ear morphogenesis can be partially recapitulated using induced pluripotent stem cells directed to differentiate into inner ear organoids (IEOs). Once validated and benchmarked, these systems could represent unique tools to complement and refine our understanding of human otic differentiation and model developmental defects.
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