Highly efficient and rapid generation of human pluripotent stem cells by chemical reprogramming (scATAC-seq)

We recently demonstrated the chemical reprogramming of human somatic cells to pluripotent stem cells, which provides a fundamentally new approach for cell fate manipulation. However, the utility of this chemical approach is currently hampered by the slow kinetics. Here, by screening for new small-molecule boosters and systematically optimizing the original chemical reprogramming condition, we have established a robust, chemically defined protocol. With this new protocol, the entire chemical reprogramming process is remarkably accelerated, reducing the time needed from ~50 days to a minimum of 16 days. Moreover, this new protocol enables highly reproducible and efficient generation of human pluripotent stem cells from all 17 tested donors with a reprogramming efficiency of up to 31%. Our method provides a unique and powerful strategy for human cell fate manipulation and pluripotent stem cell manufacturing for cell-based therapeutic applications. To dissect the molecular mechanism of human chemical reprogramming, human somatic cells and cells at different time points throughout chemical reprogramming process were analyzed by single cell ATAC-seq.