The team at the Department of Experimental Cardiology Laboratory at UMC Utrecht has learned from past mistakes and introduced more rigorous genomic stability testing as a result. Renee Maas, a PhD candidate, tells us about the process they went through and the rationale behind their choice for iCS-digital™ PSC.
We generate cell lines harboring genetic diseases by collecting donor cells from large families that have inherent cardiomyopathies. We differentiate our cells towards cardiomyocytes and make organoids. During
the last 5 years, we have generated over 20 individual lines with multiple clones.
A couple of years ago, we had been confidently working on a cell line for quite a few passages when it showed the absence of the Y chromosome after sequencing. This was a big revelation for us and it triggered a more
rigorous genomic stability testing protocol within our lab. We contacted Stem Genomics and selected iCS-digital™ PSC to test routinely. We also decided to test after the generation of a new line. Since establishing
this QC strategy, we realized that the 20q appears very often. We really did not expect it to be present so frequently! This led us to implement iCS-digital™ PSC every 10 passages.
The Stem Genomics team is very helpful and the test is super easy to implement! You isolate DNA, ship it in an envelope and get results back a week later. We used to wait for months to get G-Banding results as we were dependent on other departments. The iCS-digital™ PSC gave us the independence we needed to streamline our processes: it is faster, cheaper than G-Banding and we don’t need as many cells to perform each test.
The Regenerative Medicine Center Utrecht (RMCU) is part of UMC Utrecht. It brings together the largest number of researchers in the Netherlands to address global health care problems by replacing, engineering and regenerating human cells, tissues and organs. Their outstanding scientists, engineers, clinicians, students, ethicists and staff work together on the development of regenerative strategies and their translation into patient benefit.
We are quick to respond
Let's talk to each other
According to your availability
Subscribe to stay informed
IRMB – Hôpital Saint Eloi
80 avenue Augustin Fliche
34295 Montpellier Cedex 5
5501 Fortunes Ridge Drive,
Suite O,
Durham, NC 27713
Please enter your e-mail address.