Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells on a Chip: A Self-Contained, Accessible, Pipette-less iPSC Culturing and Differentiation Kit

Over the past decade, induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) have become a major focus of stem cell and developmental biology research, offering researchers a clinically relevant source of cells that are amenable to genetic engineering approaches. Though stem cells are promising for both research and commercial endeavors, iPSC-based assays require tedious protocols that include complex treatments, expensive reagents, and specialized equipment that limit their integration into academic curricula and cell biology research groups. Expanding on existing Kit-On-A-Lid-Assay (KOALA) technologies, we have developed a self-contained, injection molded, pipette-less iPSC culture and differentiation platform that significantly reduces associated costs and labor of stem cell maintenance and differentiation. The KOALA kit offers users the full range of iPSC culture necessities, including cell cryopreservation, media exchanges, differentiation, endpoint analysis, and a new capability, cell passaging. Using the KOALA kit, we were able to culture ~20,000 iPSCs per microchannel for at least 7 days, while maintaining stable expression of stemness markers (SSEA4 and Oct4) and normal iPSC phenotype. We also adapted protocols for differentiating iPSCs into neuroepithelial cells, cardiomyocytes, and definitive endodermal cells, a cell type from each germ layer of human development.