No Tumorigenicity of Allogeneic Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells in Major Histocompatibility Complex-matched Cynomolgus Macaques

Tumorigenicity of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) is anticipated when cells derived from iPSCs are transplanted. It has been reported that iPSCs formed a teratoma in vivo in autologous transplantation in a nonhuman primate model without immunosuppression. However, there has been no study on tumorigenicity in major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-matched allogeneic iPSC transplantation with immune-competent hosts. To examine the tumorigenicity of allogeneic iPSCs, we generated four iPSC clones carrying a homozygous haplotype of the MHC. Two clones were derived from female fibroblasts by using a retrovirus and the other two clones were derived from male peripheral blood mononuclear cells by using Sendai virus (episomal approach). The iPSC clones were transplanted into allogenic MHC-matched immune-competent cynomolgus macaques. After transplantation of the iPSCs into subcutaneous tissue of an MHC-matched female macaque and into four testes of two MHC-matched male macaques, histological analysis showed no tumor, inflammation, or regenerative change in the excised tissues 3 months after transplantation, despite the results that iPSCs formed teratomas in immune-deficient mice and in autologous transplantation as previously reported. The results in the present study suggest that there is no tumorigenicity of iPSCs in MHC-matched allogeneic transplantation in clinical application.