Biobanking Organoids or Ground-State Stem Cells?

Autologous transplantation of human epidermal stem cells cultured in Green’s method is one of the first examples of utilizing adult stem cells in regenerative medicine. Using the same method, we cloned p63-expressing distal airway stem cells and showed their essential role in lung regeneration in a mouse model of acute respiratory distress syndrome. However, adult stem cells of columnar epithelial tissues had until recently evaded all attempts at cloning. To address this issue, we developed a novel technology that enabled cloning ground-state stem cells of the columnar epithelium. The adaption of this technology to clone stem cells of cancer precursors furthered our understanding of the dynamics of processes such as clonal evolution and dominance in Barrett’s esophagus, as well as for testing platforms for chemical screening. Taken together, the properties of these ground-state stem cells, including unlimited propagation, genomic stability, and regio-specificity, make them ideal for regenerative medicine, disease modeling and drug discovery.