Chapter 2 - Using magnetic nanoparticles in iPSCs

Abstract

Nanotechnology has revolutionized fields from astrophysics to biology over the past twodecades. Increasingly, nanoparticles have been used in biomedical research and medicine as powerful tools for transgene and drug delivery, imaging, diagnostics, and therapeutics. Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and human iPSCs (hiPSCs)-derived cells have the potential to revolutionize the regenerative, therapeutic, and precision medicine. Genetic modification of iPSCs represents an essential tool for the study and application of iPSCs. However, there are significant technical challenges for transgene delivery into iPSCs since these cells are known to be difficult for transfection. The existing transgenic methods, such as viral transduction and chemical transfection, may introduce significant alternations during iPSC culture which affect the potency, purity, consistency, and functional capacity of iPSCs. Magnetic nanoparticles have the potential to facilitate the magnetic field–guided transgene delivery to the iPSCs and offer a simple and robust approach for transgene delivery to iPSCs. Magnetic nanoparticle–mediated gene transfer offers significant advantages over other gene transfer methods, such as high efficiency, low cytotoxicity and biodegradability, low cost, directional and distal controllability, efficient in vivo applications, and lack of immune responses. This chapter discusses the principles and applications of magnetic nanoparticles in the transgene delivery to iPSCs.