Feeder-free mRNA reprogramming of urine-derived cells: combining a faithful reprogramming method with a readily accessible cell type

Over a decade after their discovery, induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) have become a major biological model. The iPSC technology allows generation of pluripotent stem cells from somatic cells bearing any genomic background. The challenge ahead of us is to translate human iPSCs (hiPSCs) protocols into clinical treatment. To do so, we need to improve the quality of hiPSCs produced. In this study we report the reprogramming of multiple patient urine-derived cell lines with mRNA reprogramming, which, to date, is one of the fastest and most faithful reprogramming method. We show that mRNA reprogramming efficiently generates hiPSCs from urine-derived cells. Moreover, we were able to generate feeder-free bulk hiPSCs lines that did not display genomic abnormalities. Altogether, this reprogramming method will contribute to accelerating the translation of hiPSCs to therapeutic applications.