Efficient non-integrating and Growth Factors-free Culture System for Induction and Maintenance of human pluripotent stem cells

Human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) hold great potentials in disease modeling, drug screening and cell therapy. However, the efficiency and costs of hiPSC preparation still need to be improved. Here we found that a dual-specificity tyrosine phosphorylation-regulated kinase inhibitor ID-8 robustly enhanced human somatic cell reprogramming by upregulation of PDK4 and activation of glycolysis. Furthermore, we identified a novel growth factor-free hiPSC generation system using ID-8/KGN (IK). IK combined with Low-dose bFGF supported the long-term expansion of human pluripotent stem cells. Also, IK-iPSCs showed normal and high pluripotency karyotype. Our studies provide a xeno-free culture system to facilitate generation of hiPSCs for multiple application in regenerative medicine.