Cell Therapy Using Induced Pluripotent Stem (iPS) Cells Meets Next-Next Generation DNA Sequencing Technology

The recent development of induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell technology brings cell and gene therapies to patients one large step closer to reality. Technical improvements in various research fields sometimes come together fortuitously, leading to approaches to treating disease. If iPS cell technology continues to progress smoothly as expected and is actually applied to patients, the next logical step to ensuring the success of iPS cell therapy is to make use of next-next generation DNA sequencing technology and bioinformatics of recipient genomes. Before a patient-derived iPS cell colony is used for clinical therapy in a patient, the colony should undergo whole-genome DNA sequencing, thus avoiding risks associated with spontaneously mutagenized iPS cells. Researchers participating in the Human Genome Project need to take full advantage of both technologies—iPS cell technology and DNA sequencing—as doing so will help us achieve the original long-term goal of the project: developing therapies that will benefit human health.